Peter Handscomb gives BBL a miss opts to stay with the Australian side

Middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb was dropped from the Australian Test team for the third Test at the WACA, Perth. Handscomb was replaced by all-rounder Mitchell Marsh who made the most of his opportunity scoring a big hundred. However, he has opted to stay with the Australian side for the Boxing Day Test rather than having a go at the Big Bash League.

Test cricket over T20?

The 26-year-old is one of the few cricketers who are committed to the longest format of the game, he was provided with an opportunity to play Tests well before his debut but he declined the offer as he believed that he was not ready for Test cricket yet.

Handscomb would have made it to the Melbourne Stars XI for their season opener but he was determined to get back into the Australian squad after spending five hard days at the nets at WACA.

“You need to be there ready to go with your long-format, Test skills. Rather than going back and trying to slog the white ball around and potentially changing a few things in your game. It’s good to stay around the squad and make sure I’m ready to go if called upon,” Handscomb stated while talking to the reporters earlier today.

He is expected to don the whites when Australia tour South Africa for a four-match Test series beginning March 1. The right-hander believes that Mitchell Marsh deserved a go ahead of him on a flat WACA wicket. 

“They were long fielding innings. I can’t bowl, Mitch can bowl. It sucks having to sit on the sidelines. I was frustrated to be left out, but that’s part of it, and we won the Test and won the Ashes, so there are no issues. I know how well I can play. I’m pretty confident I’ll make runs if selected,” Handscomb signed off.