SA vs AUS 2018: Peter Handscomb eager to make a mark against South Africa

Peter Handscomb return to Australian Test squad with South Africa series.

Peter Handscomb's unbeaten ton helps Victoria to Shield win over South Australia | AAP

Australian wicket-keeper batsman –Peter Handscomb returned to form ahead of the crucial South Africa tour, smashing an unbeaten an unbeaten century to help Victoria to a six-wicket win over South Australia in the Sheffield Shield at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Handscomb, who cracked an unbeaten 114 off 128 balls against South Australia, has been named in Australia’s squad for the Qantas tour of South Africa 2018, which is slated to start with a warm-up match  against SA Invitational XI, at Sahara Park, Benoni on 22 February, while the four-match Test series will start on 1 March at Kingsmead, Durban.

The 26-year-old right-hander, who made his Test debut against South Africa in 2016, has played  11 Tests and scored 757 with two centuries and four fifties for Australia is looking forward to the tough Proteas tour. With this renewed confidence, he is itching to make a mark again. 

Handscomb told RSN Radio's The Breakfast Club, "I'm going over there with the mindset that I'm going to play. We've got a practice game a couple of days in (in Benoni, Feb 22-24), which will give us a good understanding of where everyone's at. Hopefully, I can make my mark there, and if I'm not in the first or second game, hopefully for myself I can get in for game three and four.”

He further added, “But if I'm not in there and I don't get the opportunity, it's probably a good sign because it means the boys are winning, and first and foremost that's what we're going there to do.”

Commenting on his match-winning show against South Australia, Peter said, “Put that performance on the board was good for my mindset going into South Africa; I know I can score runs, I know I can spend that time out in the middle. It was just nice to be out there, knowing my technique, which for me has been making runs for three years, can hopefully make plenty more runs. So it was nice timing.”

Handscomb signed off by saying, “Now my focus turns to South Africa. We've had emails from our analysts with all the video footage of their bowlers and their batters, so I'll be having a look at that now and start getting my head around a few plans for them.”

Australian squad for South Africa Test series:

Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc.

 

 

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 12 Feb, 2018

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