It’s OK to fail, says Australia’s ODI newcomer
Steve Larkin |
Matt Renshaw was nervous.
Then, Indian legend Virat Kohli was dismissed without scoring.
The 29-year-old Renshaw admits surprise at being summoned to Australia’s team for his one-day international debut last Sunday in Perth.
“The other night, I haven’t batted in one-day (international) cricket, I was a bit nervous,” Renshaw said.
“And Virat Kohli made a duck – and he’s the best player in this format ever – so it’s OK to fail.
“A lot of the time you’re always chasing perfection in this game, but no one’s ever perfected it, so I don’t think there’s any point trying.”
The Kohli dismissal in Australia’s series-opening victory added to Renshaw’s fresh perspective on cricket, also evidenced by his shock at his ODI debut.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all before the series, it surprised me a bit,” said Renshaw, who made an unbeaten 21 from 24 balls in game one.
“I had to look on Google to find when the games were to see where I’d be, so that was a pretty weird one, Googling when games are.
“But that sums up where I’m at.
“I’ve got my schedule for Queensland, and anything else is a massive bonus.”
Renshaw will get his second crack at an ODI on Thursday when Australia host India at Adelaide Oval.
The Queenslander made his Test debut at the venue in 2016, but has since played only 13 more Tests.
Renshaw hoped to add to that tally with selection for the looming Ashes series against England, but if overlooked he insists he’ll be fine.
“Obviously I want to be there, it would be remiss of me not to say that,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“But I try and stay away from it (speculation) as much as possible.
“I know that there’s a lot of people in the country, a lot of people who are paid to try and cause stories, so I’m just worrying about myself.
“If someone else does get the opportunity to open in the Ashes, I know that they’re going to be good enough.
“I know that Australian cricket is strong enough that whoever gets that chance to open that first Test is going to have done enough and be good enough to do that for Australia.
“A lot of people always say ‘Oh, I’m not sure about someone’, but opening is a hard job in red-ball cricket specifically.
“And I think we all know that, we all know how hard it is, all the openers respect each other – if someone gets picked, then they deserve it.”
AAP
