Matt Renshaw on his struggles last Sheffield Shield season and returning to his roots
Once an Aussie Test opening batsman, Matt Renshaw was a hit in the Big Bash last summer, but his state season fell apart. He tells Crash Craddock why he had to get away from Queensland cricket and return to his roots.
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Matt Renshaw has gone back to his youthful stomping ground to recreate the free-spirited vibe of days when cricket was a game but not a career.
Former Test opener Renshaw is expected to start the Sheffield Shield season at No.4 or 5 in the Queensland Bulls’ top order against Tasmania in Adelaide on Saturday after a difficult year in which he took a break from the game.
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In a bid to rekindle his zest for the game, Renshaw launched his comeback with a net session with his father at the Albany Creek Junior Cricket Club, where he once starred as a youngster and has many fond memories.
“I wanted my first hit back to be down there at my old stomping ground,” Renshaw said.
“I wanted for it to be away from Queensland cricket because at times you can get caught up in cricket being your job when you go back to the same place.
“It just took me back to the days when I was playing not for performance or selection but just to have fun.
“It was one of those sessions when I had as much fun as I could. There was something about it which was really enjoyable and it made me think back to how I felt when I was younger.
“We played some games and I tried to hit really big sixes which was a lot of fun. Sometimes you need to go away and have some fun and play some music and relax.”
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Renshaw feels he is in a better place mentally for his break from the game and is ready for the challenge of switching down the order.
“I was just really exhausted and just needed a mental break as much as a physical break. The stress of cricket can be quite big at times and it was one of those moments when it was better for me to take a break.
“It was the best decision for me. Batting in the middle order is obviously a bit different to opening but my experiences in one-day and T20 cricket in recent years have helped me to get used to it. Waiting to bat is the biggest issue for me.
“There has probably a lot of mental stuff I have worked on and a few technical things with my movement to make sure I don‘t get stuck.’’
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Australia has committed to being in two places at once in February, as Justin Langer’s outfit goes above and beyond to rescue cricket’s battlers from financial ruin.
Cricket Australia could have two teams playing simultaneously on opposite sides of the globe, with Tim Paine’s Test team due to travel to South Africa at the same time as Aaron Finch takes a white ball side to New Zealand.
South African cricket is currently in crisis – both with COVID-19 and the state of its board – and there is real doubt over the scheduled three-Test tour going ahead, although Australia want it to.
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But even if South Africa do pull it off, it’s understood Cricket Australia has told New Zealand it would still send a white ball side across the Tasman as well.
The Kiwis are so desperate for cricketing content to help fill its coffers they would even take what would effectively be an Australia A team.
Despite the fact it’s still fighting through its own scheduling dramas for this summer, Cricket Australia interim boss Nick Hockley says it’s the nation’s duty, as a powerful cricketing nation, to help its rivals recover.
“Sport around the globe has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and it is incumbent upon all of us to play our part in helping international cricket back to a healthy position,” said CA interim chief, Nick Hockley.
“Hosting this series is of vital importance to NZC and we stand ready to assist them, as we did the ECB with the recent white ball series in England.
“Every board will have to make compromises and sacrifices to help the international game recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and we are happy to do our bit.
“This is a unique set of circumstances brought on by the pandemic and is not something we envisage replicating regularly in future.”
New Zealand released a schedule on Tuesday which has Australia playing five Twenty20 matches in NZ from February 22.
The International Future Tours Program has Australia in South Africa for three Test matches between February and March.
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This series against South Africa is crucial to the ICC Test Championship, which Australia is on track to qualify for the final at Lord’s in June next year, provided COVID-19 doesn’t derail the competition.
Separating two teams to play at the same time, has happened before.
The last time Australia toured South Africa for Tests in the infamous ball-tampering series, an advance party of Test players went to Africa to prepare, while select white ball stars including David Warner and Mitchell Starc helped spearhead a below-strength Australian T20 team in New Zealand, before joining their teammates late.
In late 2014, Australia played a T20 series against South Africa at home, while the Test team was playing Pakistan in the UAE.
It’s hardly ideal, but the smaller nations, who were already financially affected, are now battling to stay afloat following COVID-19.
New Zealand were due to host Australia in white ball matches earlier this year before COVID-19 wiped them out.
Australia’s male players will be asked to make incredible sacrifices this year, and face bulk periods in quarantine if international travelling plans go ahead.
Originally published as Matt Renshaw on his struggles last Sheffield Shield season and returning to his roots