From entering the Test arena at just 20 years-old to playing county cricket across the other side of the world at Somerset, Matt Renshaw has already achieved an impressive amount so far in his young career, and was recently named in the top 10 of Wisden Cricket Monthly‘s best young players in the world. Adam Collins caught up with one of Australia’s brightest young talents on his experience at Taunton, his major influences and what it was like to play Test cricket at such a young age.
To find out where Renshaw places in our list of the 50 best young men’s players on the planet, pick up a copy of issue 10 of Wisden Cricket Monthly
Most players would jump on the next plane. When Matt Renshaw broke a finger against Surrey in June that was the expectation, given he was at the fag-end of his highly productive Somerset stint. But who were his fellas playing next? The team with the player who has more runs to his name than any other England batsman. Like Renshaw, Alastair Cook is lean left-hander who made his international bow at 20. So he decided to travel with the team to Chelmsford to watch him bat, hoping to grab him for a chat and a beer as well.
Was that defensive mindset a result of how you were expected to play on the Test tours of India and Bangladesh last year, when you were holding on for as long as you could?
Yeah, and the added pressure of being a Test player. I got that mixed up and started batting without any intent. I got a message from Greg Chappell and I also had a text from David Warner saying it didn’t look like I was trying to score. My defence was okay but I wasn’t going away from that and it was getting me into playing half-aggressive shots.
Very few people make their Test debut at 20, are dropped at 21 and recalled by 22. Do you now feel you’re in a good place to capitalise on your second chance?
Cricket is massively about timing. Look at the way I got picked originally: coming back from injury I got a hundred and was in the Test side a week later. Things happen for a reason. Getting dropped has made me a stronger cricketer and person. Talking to Justin Langer, he said every player who has debuted before 23 has been dropped, including Ricky Ponting and Langer. I take that as a positive and keep learning as much as I can.
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As we wrap up our chat, Cook is given out lbw four runs short of what would have been his 62nd first-class century. Later, he had that beer with Renshaw.
