Matt Renshaw barely had time to pack away his white-ball kit after Saturday’s maiden ODI fifty in Sydney before boarding a flight north. He will front up for Queensland on Tuesday in the final round of the Sheffield Shield – a round most observers think will settle Australia’s squad for the first Ashes Test against England.
Queensland meet a New South Wales side featuring Steven Smith and Sam Konstas, the latter playing what feels like a make-or-break fixture for his own Test hopes. Renshaw, who began the Shield summer with a century against Tasmania, missed the previous round while on one-day duty. He is no certainty for the Ashes, but senior figures like his ability to bat anywhere from one to six.
He is expected to open with Usman Khawaja, while Michael Neser sits out with a sore back, leaving Queensland’s attack a little threadbare.
“I’m ready for Tuesday… I think it’s the same cricket ball, it’s just a different colour,” Renshaw said after arriving in Brisbane. “My batting, if I’m showing good intent, whatever format that may be, it’s obviously the different shots that you need to play in red ball. My feet are feeling really good against the quicks, spin is feeling good. So hopefully I can score some runs in the next Shield game and win a game for Queensland.”
Selectors have an obvious Plan A – Marnus Labuschagne sliding up to open – but that hinges on Cameron Green’s bowling output and, by extension, Beau Webster’s role in the middle order. Green’s fitness therefore remains the most important subplot of the week.
The all-rounder will line up for Western Australia against South Australia at the WACA after missing the India ODIs with what was called “minor side soreness”. Only four overs from him so far this season hardly screams match-ready, especially less than a year after back surgery, and the national panel will study every spell he delivers.
South Australia welcome back Brendan Doggett from a hamstring strain. Twelve months ago he was part of the World Test Championship squad and scheduled for the West Indies tour before injury struck. Another strong performance here could nudge him into the Ashes travelling party as a reserve quick.
Across the continent at Junction Oval, Tasmania’s clash with Victoria carries its own selection intrigue. Jake Weatherald’s brisk 94 against WA kept his name in the mix for a first Test cap; a repeat against a quality, albeit Scott Boland-less, Victorian attack would strengthen his case. Webster returns from an ankle injury for Tasmania and has already been publicly assured of an Ashes berth by chair of selectors George Bailey, yet he will want minutes in the middle after a stop-start build-up.
There is plenty for the national brains trust to digest: Green’s overs, Doggett’s pace, Renshaw’s red-ball rhythm, Labuschagne’s versatility and whether Weatherald can turn one good innings into two. The good news is they will see it all first-hand – the bad news, for them at least, is they must finalise the squad within days.
Right now, Renshaw is simply concentrating on the job in front of him. He enjoys white-ball cricket, says the night-game experience from the BBL transfers easily enough, but knows red-ball runs are the currency that matters in an Ashes year. One more big score would force the panel’s hand; anything less and he will probably be watching from the outside.
In short, Tuesday’s first ball can’t come soon enough.
