Boxing Day Test against Pakistan will be first time Aussie opener Matt Renshaw has played at MCG

AUSSIE opener Matt Renshaw is not sure what to expect from the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and you can’t blame him for that. He’s never played there.

MATT Renshaw is not sure what to expect from the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and you can’t blame him for that. He’s never played there.

In fact his only visit to the ground was as a spectator during the last Ashes tour when Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win.

Next week he will be the man under everyone’s gaze when he opens the batting for Australia against Pakistan in the second Test.

“I have never played there — I went to an Ashes Boxing Day a few years ago and it was a great atmosphere,’’ Renshaw said.

Matt Renshaw has a simple philosophy when he makes his MCG debut.

“There was 90-odd thousand there. You hear past players about how special it is to play in one and I guess I will never really know until I get down there.

“I can imagine how different it would be to go out and face the first ball. That would be a great experience. Everyone talks about it on the calendar.

“It could be really exciting. I am just hoping I get off the mark. It will probably be a bit more real when I fly down, have a training session and hopefully not get lost around the training areas and the dug outs, which I have heard it is easy to do.

“I normally spend Christmas with my cousins on the coast and we play backyard cricket then watch the Test. It will be great to have them down in Melbourne with me.

Renshaw’s young Test career is essentially a journey of discovery. After Melbourne he will head to Sydney where he has played just one Sheffield Shield game and then its off to India where he has never played at all.

But he takes it all in his youthful stride and though he may have wide-eyed moments, he has already learnt a lesson that many more experienced played failed to grasp — not to overstress about things.

How will Matt Renshaw transition from the pink to the red ball?

“I generally used to overcomplicate my batting and put a lot of pressure on myself, but I realise it was not the best plan for me so I just try and go out and have a smile on my face and have a lot of fun.’’

Renshaw has done well in his two pink ball Tests, which brought very different challenges against the pinpoint seam of the South Africans in Adelaide and the more unpredictable and occasionally dangerous swing and seam of the Pakistanis in Brisbane.

“The Pakistanis probably bowled me more balls in my area but they were generally trying to take wickets rather than bore us out like the South Africans did.

“Wahab Riaz was quite challenging. He angled the ball into the left hander and got one to move away. I have never faced three left armers like that who could take the ball away from you. It will be a different challenge this week in my first red ball Test.’’