Mind over technique as Matt Renshaw eyes Test recall

After the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, veteran opener David Warner will call his time in red-ball cricket. Hence, there is a spot up for grabs for the likes of Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft. Notably, all three cricketers have been called up for the Primer Minister’s XI, which will be a four-day practice game against Pakistan ahead of the high-voltage series. Meanwhile, this match can be considered as a virtual trial, as their performance will be closely monitored and the one who does better could be selected for the Test series against West Indies and New Zealand.

Ahead of that, Renshaw opened up on the mental aspect of the game. He believes that in terms of quality, all the players have almost similar abilities but it’s the mental stuff that makes a difference. The Queenslander added that he is working on new techniques but is also trying to work on his mindset away from cricket while batting.

“When I was struggling I would keep it all locked into myself but at the moment I am trying to be open with my feelings and the way I am thinking with people close around me. Everyone at this level has pretty similar ability. It is how you work out the mental stuff that is the biggest challenge.

“You look at all the guys at the top level of their sports and they have a better mindset and way of dealing with failure than others. Obviously there is the technique stuff that I continue to work on but I have tried to work on my mindset away from cricket and my mindset while I am batting. I work with some people away from cricket that know me well. It has been a long process trying to work on that,” Renshaw was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au

Notably, Renshaw represented Australia in 14 Test matches and has scored 645 runs in the process. He played his last Test against India in Delhi but batting at number five, he couldn’t justify his role and following which, he wasn’t considered again.