Marcus Harris signs with Melbourne Renegades after Test snub

Fringe Test opener Marcus Harris is poised for a Big Bash return after five years without a significant opportunity.

Marcus Harris says he will leave talk of his Test recall chances to others after finding a silver lining in being overlooked from Australia’s squad for the Border-Gavaskar series.

The left-hander is eyeing his first full Big Bash campaign in five years after signing for the Melbourne Renegades on Tuesday ahead of next week’s season opener.

Harris, 32, was poised to be a Renegades top-order option for the duration of the tournament after the untried Nathan McSweeney was preferred to open the batting at the start of the Test summer.

With Josh Inglis named as the squad’s reserve batter and exciting NSW teenager Sam Konstas pushing to the front of the queue as heir to veteran Usman Khawaja’s spot, the window of opportunity for Harris to return to international cricket has narrowed significantly.

But he said he was keen to focus on his opportunity in the shorter format after Test squad duties denied him chances to play consistently in the middle of the summer.

Harris has played only three BBL games since the 2019-20 season, crossing back to his home state for one game with the Perth Scorchers last season as a replacement player for the injured Jhye Richardson.

It’s been a rare sight in the last five years, but Marcus Harris is set for more time in the Melbourne Renegades’ red when the Big Bash begins on Sunday. Picture: Darren England / AAP

“I’ve been in and out of the Test squads, so it’s probably hampered my T20 game a little bit, whereas this year I haven’t had to worry about that, so I’ve had the opportunity to work on some stuff,” he said.

“I’ve probably been in the squad until the middle of January (in recent seasons), and then all of a sudden there’s a couple of BBL games left and it’s almost felt like it’s a bit too late.

“So to be able to have a big chunk of the BBL available is good.”

Harris said the call to leave him out of the Test squad had not affected his approach to the remainder of the season.

“I’ve enjoyed my cricket all year – the Test selection, yes, it was at the forefront of what I was doing, but it wasn’t going to determine how I was going to play or how I was going to feel,” he said.

“Now that the team’s been picked and they’ve started playing this year, I don’t have too much to worry about, so I’m just focused on what I’m going to do with the Renegades and looking forward to it.”

Victorian second XI captain Xavier Crone will play in the Big Bash for the first time since a 2018-19 stint with the Melbourne Stars after signing with the Renegades. Picture: Morgan Hancock / Getty Images

Harris and Victorian fast bowling all-rounder Xavier Crone took the final two spots on the Renegades’ list, with USA left-arm spinner Hassan Khan signed last week as a replacement player for Jacob Bethell, who will miss the start of the season following his surprise call-up to the English Test side.

The signings came as the Renegades also landed a WBBL coup, luring all-rounder Tess Flintoff across from the Melbourne Stars for next season.

The 21-year-old will join former teammates Nicole Faltum and Milly Illingworth, who were instrumental in the Renegades sweeping to a breakthrough title at the MCG a fortnight ago.

“We are very happy to be bringing Tess into the Renegades. The Renegades showed this year that we have a style of play that combines explosive batting and clever bowling, and Tess does both to a very high level,” Renegades general manager James Rosengarten said.

The WBBL player movement window will close on Wednesday evening.