As a cricketer, perhaps the best words to describe him are watchful, a patient operator with the bat and someone who clearly appears focused. But when you step away from observing the skill that Matt Renshaw plies in the game and has come to demonstrate so far in his international Test career, you somewhere cannot possibly ignore the fact that he’s a bit of an underachiever.
An underachiever not just for Cricket Australia but even for his own sake, having played Test cricket from the onset of 2016 and regularly so, at the most, until 2018.
So this time around, when the technically sound and confident left hander turns out for Australia, he’ll do well tu think that this opportunity could be a really precious one.
These are, without much doubt, pressing times for Australian cricket. When the spectators who stay awake late into the night whether it’s at the picturesque Gold Coast or the sunny dipping surfers from Launceston in Tasmania, the boiling question remains, albeit not with any certain answers. At least, not at this point in time!
That how did the team that not too long ago lifted the precious, heavyweight World Test Championship mace reach a level where it lost a Test match to Bangladesh. Worst still, at its own backyard?
Was it shaky captaincy by Pat Cummins? Were the bowlers just not able to come to terms that a spirited and resilient side headlined by classy acts such as that of Tanzid, the man responsible for that gritty 101 at Darwin (opening Test), would dig in and hold deep? Or was it the fact that the Australian batters were caught napping?
Whatever it is – if you are a certain Matt Renshaw, you ought to remember that cricket doesn’t always allow a second innings to all and gone are the days where cricketers would like to leave things to chance.
If you are Matt Renshaw, you better get busy with the first ball that you come to face in just the next few days, irrespective of who you are up against: whether the foxy spin of Mehidy Hasan Miraz or the committed medium pace of Taksin.
If you are Matt Renshaw, you better put the blinkers on your most recent Test score, which culminated in a pitiable looking single digit score.
A welcome change and time to create an impact
It’s a long time coming for Matt Renshaw. The reward has been in patient waiting and he’s done all the hardwork seen recently.
That classy 89 not out in white ball international cricket against Bangladesh in that T20I held at Chattogram showed us all a different individual with the bat. Renshaw was attacking, aggressive and his bold inning helped Australia mount a challenging 196 run total, a score they’d eventually defend by 7 runs in a critical win.
But that was back then in June. Since then, for format and times have changed for the Aussies. Back then it was about mounting a significant challenge to an opponent that can often be dangerous at home. It was T20 cricket. This time around, it’s about salvaging pride and rescuing lost belief that the shock 9 wicket defeat has wrought the hosts with.
If it was about attacking back then, then now it’s all about digging in deep and with clarity and focus.
These are just the kind of qualities that Matt Renshaw brings to the table.
It’s time, especially with the big call having been made to replace Jake Weatherald, to bring all that talent into play.
After all, Cricket Australia has reaffirmed its faith on a Test match lover. It’s time that the practitioner who seems so drawn to excel in the five day format, to give some of that love back. Don’t you think?
