Matthew Renshaw will be reunited with Usman Khawaja at the top of Queensland’s Sheffield Shield order as his new coach urges the Test aspirant to shout “I’m the guy”.
Khawaja will move back to the top from No.4 while fringe Test chance Renshaw will also face the new, red ball against three-time defending champions Western Australia when the four-day competition begins on Tuesday.
New captain Marnus Labuschagne will bat at No.3 for last year’s wooden spooners, now helmed by former South African spinner Johan Botha.
The coach is keen to “lift the intensity” of their batting and give Renshaw, who has slid up and down the order in recent years, a platform to surge into contention for the first Test against India next month.
“He’ll open,” Botha told AAP on Monday. “The plan for all of us is to get him back in the Test team.
“Even if he’s not in pole position at the moment there’s nothing that two big scores can’t change.
“Get a big score when everyone’s watching; that’s what counts. And it will count that he’s batting with Khawaja and Marnus around him.
“That puts him right in the mix and make them (selectors) make a tough decision.
“And the guy that gets that first look in, they’ll have to go with that guy for a while.”
A year ago Renshaw, Victorian Marcus Harris and WA’s Cameron Bancroft were seemingly in a three-way fight to replace the retiring David Warner.
Eventually his spot was filled from within by Steve Smith, allowing Cameron Green to return to the team at No.4.
Incumbent Smith scored a brilliant, unbeaten 91 in Australia’s thrilling loss to West Indies at the Gabba but scored 12 or less in six of his eight innings at the top of the order.
Nathan Lyon will play for NSW but former Test captain Smith, along with current skipper Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, have not been named in the side that will face South Australia in Sydney.
Where Test No.5 Travis Head, who has flourished as an opener in one-day internationals, bats in that game will also be revealing.
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Queensland opener Matthew Renshaw. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
Green could also shift up from No.4 to open, but won’t join Mitch Marsh or Josh Inglis for the Warriors’ Shield opener as he nurses a fresh back concern.
“Who’s going to take those first four or six opportunities of the summer and say, ‘I’m the guy?’,” Botha said.
“All of them will feel that bit of pressure in the background that they want to be the next Test opener.
“All of them are in the same boat. One might be in the lead at the moment, but no ball’s been bowled.”
Khawaja, 38 in December, will play at least three of the Bulls’ four Shield clashes before the first Test and become Australia’s oldest Test cricketer since Steve Waugh, should he feature later this year.
The left-hander’s averaged 53.41 since his recall during the 2021/22 Ashes, providing the steady hand at the top of the order despite batting No.4 when he played for the Bulls.
Botha said the pair had eventually agreed his promotion was in the best interests of all parties and that he would be the “calming influence” next to a new captain he has encouraged to get funky.
“With the ball, and with our fields, try and get guys out in their first 20, 30 balls,” Botha said of the Bulls’ approach.
“And (leg-spinner) Mitch Swepson – can we get him into the game a bit earlier as an attacking option? Marnus will certainly think that way.”
SHEFFIELD SHIELD
* Victoria v Tasmania @ Junction Oval, Melbourne
* Western Australia v Queensland @ WACA, Perth
* NSW v South Australia @ Cricket Central, Sydney
© AAP
