Matt Renshaw exclusive: opener will continue to fight for his spot after being axed from Ashes squad for Cameron Bancroft
MATT Renshaw knows his lack of first-class runs was the catalyst for his axing from the Test team but the opener was surprised selectors didn’t keep the faith.
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FULL SQUAD: Selectors drop Ashes bombshells for first Test
A SHATTERED Matt Renshaw believes he could have fired in the first Test against England as the fallen Queensland opener comes to terms with his Ashes axing.
Speaking exclusively with The Courier-Mail, Renshaw said he would cop his demotion on the chin, but had a genuine belief he would have handled an Ashes baptism at the Gabba starting Thursday.
Just a year ago, the England-born Renshaw was the baby-faced golden boy of Australian cricket after making his Test debut at 20 years and 241 days against South Africa at Adelaide Oval.
In his most recent Test innings on home soil in January, Renshaw blasted 184 against Pakistan — a maiden Test ton that suggested he was Australia’s blue-chip opener for the next 10 years.
Now Renshaw is digesting the pain of a baggy-green snub, with Australia’s selectors opting for West Australian Cameron Bancroft after he clubbed 228 not out against South Australia earlier this week.
Renshaw has had a wretched start to the summer, scoring 70 runs at 11.66 in three Sheffield Shield fixtures, but says he could have stepped up against England in the biggest series of his career.
“Obviously I didn’t have the runs on the board but I’ve done well in the past for Australia,” said Renshaw, whose 10-Test career has yielded 623 runs at 36.65.
LISTEN! In a special episode of Cricket Unfiltered we analyse Australia’s controversial Test team for the first Ashes Test.
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“It’s hard to answer whether I deserved to be picked.
“But if they picked me for the first Test, who knows, maybe I would have done the job. They didn’t pick me, so I have to accept that.
“I was pretty hopeful (of selection) but you can never take anything for granted.
“It’s a lesson — I need to score more runs next time.”
The tall left-hander admits he has paid the ultimate price for his insipid batting. His last nine Test innings have yielded 149 runs at 16.55 with five single-digit scores.
This summer, Renshaw has not passed 20 for Queensland against the red ball and battled some technical flaws, triggering the dreaded phone call from Australian chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns.
“I’m pretty disappointed to be honest,” he said.
“The selectors called me. We had a chat. They said I simply didn’t score enough for runs which is fair enough.
“I’ve been feeling good but I just haven’t been getting runs on the board.
“When someone (Bancroft) scores 200, then they deserve to be in the side. There’s no hard feelings towards Cameron, I wish him all the best.
“With me not scoring enough runs the spot was going to come up.
“It’s anyone’s dream to play in the Ashes whether you are English or Australia ... hopefully I get a chance sometime in the future.”
Renshaw has so often been compared in size and style to Australian opening great Matthew Hayden and now he must embark on a similar fight back to the national fold.
Former Queensland opener Hayden was dropped early in his Test career, but Matt The Bat responded, eventually compiling 103 Tests, scoring 8625 runs at a magnificent 50.74.
That gives the 21-year-old Renshaw hope he can produce a formidable second coming. He returns to grade cricket with Toombul adamant his Ashes campaign is not over.
“Everyone gets dropped at some point so hopefully I will come back from this,” he said.
“It definitely makes me more determined.
“There’s five Tests in this series, so if I can score runs at Shield level, maybe I can put some pressure on the guys and force my way back in.
“I have to start again. I’ll probably go back to grade cricket this week and I have a Shield game at the WACA next week. I wasn’t expecting to play so many Tests so early in my career and I’d like to add to that in the future.”
LISTEN! On our new CRICKET UNFILTERED podcast, Ian Chappell explains his reasons for omitting Steve Waugh from his list of Ashes greats and Robert “Crash” Craddock provides his unique insight into the battle for the urn.
You can download Cricket Unfiltered from the iTunes store
Originally published as Matt Renshaw exclusive: opener will continue to fight for his spot after being axed from Ashes squad for Cameron Bancroft