With Steve Waugh endorsing him to make his Test debut against South Africa at the WACA in the opening match of the summer, Bancroft is back to being near the head of the Aussie batting queue.

He was poised to get his baggy green in October 2015, when he was included in the team for a two-Test series of Sri Lanka. He had made a good case for inclusion: he’d been the third-leading run scorer the previous Shield season, and had impressed on a subsequent Australia A tour of India in August.

In addition to the weight of runs, it was Bancroft’s steady, patient, true-Test-batsman style that marked him as a potential long-term fixture in the long form. Two innings in particular stood out: his 800-minute double-ton that pushed WA into the Shield final, and a six-hour 150 against India A in Chennai.

A week after that Bancroft innings, the Aussie Test XI fell apart against Stuart Broad at Trent Bridge. The selectors were out looking for patient players, and found one in Bancroft.

“I was absolutely pumped, I was so excited,” Bancroft told Inside Sport about receiving the news of his selection. 

“I remember our lady who looks after our player business at the WACA rang me and said ‘All your gear’s arrived’. 

“It was really exciting to get my training gear, playing top, cricket bag. I was like a kid at Christmas, loving life.”

Imagine telling the kid that Christmas is cancelled. The Sri Lanka tour was called off because of security concerns, and Bancroft was left hanging. 

He understood: “It couldn’t go ahead. At the end of the day, CA made the right decision. Looking after player welfare is the most important thing. Not literally speaking, I would have taken a bullet to get an opportunity to wear a baggy green cap.”

Back in the pool of domestic cricket, Bancroft found himself bypassed last summer by the likes of Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja, who cemented their spots in the team. 

Curiously – maybe even ironically – when Australia did make that visit to Sri Lanka, the struggles of Burns and Khawaja in the series whitewash has re-opened the door for Bancroft. 

The notion going around Australian cricket circles now is to not only find a batsman for this summer, but one who can hold up against India on the subcontinent next year.

For a player whose patience is a strength, being made to wait might end up as a positive. As he put it: “I’m getting to a stage where I know I can be patient, but at the same time I can also up the ante as well.”