Termed as a Test specialist, Matt Renshaw is looking to shed that tag and looking to concentrate in white ball cricket. Renshaw is racing to be fit in time for next month’s Australia A campaign in India. He hopes to use the one-day leg of the tour to push for higher white-ball honours.

The Queenslander broke his finger during catching practice for Somerset in June, ending his fruitful stint in county cricket with 513 runs at an average of 53. 

“The one-dayers are a big opportunity for me to put my name forward for white ball cricket for Australia,” the Brisbane Heat batsman said following the release of this season’s Big Bash League fixtures. “It’s been a tough couple of months in the white ball format. Obviously, if I can put my name forward it would be quite nice being in that format as well.”

The left-hander scored 654 runs at 72.66 in the second half of last summer’s Sheffield Shield season, and carried that form into his county stint. In England he scored three tons across six first-class fixtures, most notably hammering an 86-ball century in his second match. Not bad at all for a man with a strike rate of 42.48 in Test cricket.

“I’ve been pigeoned (pigeonholed) as a red ball cricketer over the last few years of my cricket career. Coming in this year, playing a game for the Heat at the start of the year and scoring some runs at a higher strike rate has probably changed a few people’s minds" Renshaw said after he was selected to play for Australia A in India. 

Australia A’s first match in India is on August 17.

(Inputs from Herald Sun)