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Upon his readmission to the Australian Test team,
batsman Matt Renshaw reflects on what he describes as “a weird
time”—but also the best time—he has had over the past six months.
Renshaw beat out fellow red-ball openers Marcus Harris
and Cameron Bancroft to be included in the 13-man team as the backup hitter for
the first Test against the West Indies, which begins in Adelaide on January 17.
Renshaw is not in the playing XI.
The search for David Warner’s replacement began in the
middle of the previous year when he declared he would retire from Test cricket
following the conclusion of the Pakistan series. Steven Smith, who was
previously ranked No. 4, has now been confirmed as the opener.
However, since rejoining the team for the Test series
in India last year, Renshaw, 27, has discovered a lot about himself and is
simply glad to be back in the Test setting.
“It is really nice and a lot of hard work has
gone into that. It has been a weird six months since Davey said what he said
but I have just tried to enjoy my cricket,” Renshaw explained. “That
is the big one for me. As much as all this stuff has been looming over my head,
I play my best when I am having fun.
“Obviously, people come and go. That’s the way
cricket is but I’ve just tried to enjoy my cricket…whether that is for
Australia A, Prime Minister’s XI, Queensland and in county cricket as
well.”
Renshaw has scored 1566 first-class runs at an average
of 52.20, with seven centuries, since July 1, 2022. They are impressive figures
and reveal his consistency.
And while Smith volunteered to move up from No. 4,
Renshaw is not kicking up a fuss about it as he understands the move and the
quality of the batsman in question as well.
“He averages 60 in Test cricket. He is the best
player in the world. It gets Cam [Green] in the team as well and we all know
what Cam is capable of,” he said. “Selectors talked about the top six
batters in the country and there is no doubt those six guys are. It is just
about me trying to learn from them while I am in the squad.”