Once pigeonholed as a patient opening batsman in the Test arena only, Matthew Renshaw’s evolution into an aggressive middle order player has him in the frame to become Australia’s next three-pronged weapon.
His exploits for the Brisbane Heat to keep their Big Bash League campaign alive is evidence of that, and as powerhouse batsman Tim David races to be fit for February’s T20 World Cup, his form has come at the perfect time.
The Queenslander joked that “T20 cricket was always something I wasn’t good at apparently” after scoring a breakthrough BBL century against the Perth Scorchers, but his 324 runs (averaging 40.50) trails only Stars wicket-keeper Sam Harper this season.
Can Matthew Renshaw become Australia’s next three-format player?Credit: Getty
His handy off spin has also yielded five wickets.
On Wednesday night in Brisbane’s shock three-run win against the ladder-leading Hurricanes, Renshaw backed up his quickfire 37 from 25 balls with a piece of fielding brilliance – jumping up to prevent a six when Hobart needed just 18 runs to win.
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While David is tipped to have recovered from a hamstring injury in time for the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Renshaw’s prowess against spin bowling could make him the perfect subcontinent replacement having found a home in the middle order.
“I tried doing the opening stuff in one day cricket and probably got a bit too excited – two fielders out trying to slog a bit,” Renshaw said in December.
“I know when I’m batting properly, trying to hit the sweep hard, we obviously get a lot of spin in the middle order and I feel that’s a strength of mine being able to take some risks with different options.”
