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Banned Bancroft wins praise from Voges

Cameron Bancroft is using his time out of the game wisely and is impressing Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges

Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges has praised Cameron Bancroft's off-field pursuits, saying it is helping the banned batsman become a more rounded individual.

Bancroft, whose suspension for ball tampering ends on December 29, is currently in Melbourne attending a month-long yoga instructor retreat.

The talented opener is also learning Spanish during his ban, impressing Voges who said those off-field passions meant Bancroft was well placed to make a successful return to playing duties.

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"It (the yoga) is something that he's really passionate about," Voges said.

"It gives him a bit of balance away from the game, which we promote with all of our players.

"He's really active in terms of trying to better himself in different areas.

"He's trying to find the benefits of having time out of cricket. I think that's really good for him."

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Bancroft will return to cricketing duties next month when he lines up for club side Willetton.

The 25-year-old will miss the first three Big Bash League games for the Scorchers through suspension, but the ban will end in time for him to feature in the December 30 clash with the Hurricanes in Launceston.

Voges, who replaced Justin Langer as Scorchers coach earlier this year, has kept 16 of the 18 players from last summer's T20 squad.

The only players not to return are paceman Mitchell Johnson and Voges himself, with the duo both retiring from playing duties.

England allrounder David Willey has returned to fill one of the Scorchers' import spots, and Voges hinted that he wants to lure a spinner to fill the second import slot.

Mitch Marsh has been named captain.

Injury-plagued duo Jason Behrendorff and Nathan Coulter-Nile are on track to play in both the 50-over and BBL competitions this summer after recovering from serious back injuries.

However, they might not play any Sheffield Shield in a bid to protect their bodies.

"We're not building them for red ball cricket at this stage," Voges said.

"We'll review that at the end of the Big Bash. In the past we've tried to build them up for everything, and they've broken, and we haven't got them for anything.

"We're not guaranteeing this will work. But if we can get a full 50-over campaign and a full BBL out of both of those guys, it will be a lot more than what we have got in the past."

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