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Aussie Opener Renshaw Shifts Focus Inward, Ignores Domestic Rivals
22 Oct
Summary
- Renshaw called up to ODI squad after poor West Indies tour by Konstas
- Renshaw no longer tracks other players' performances, just focuses on his own game
- Fatherhood has given Renshaw a new perspective on his cricket career
As of October 2025, Australian opener Matt Renshaw is making a concerted effort to earn another chance in the national Test team. The 14-Test veteran, who last played for Australia nearly three years ago, has been called up to the ODI squad to face India, raising hopes of a potential Ashes comeback.
Renshaw, who is now 29 years old, believes that becoming a father to two young children has given him a new perspective on his cricket career. Rather than obsessing over the performances of his domestic rivals, the left-handed batter is solely focused on his own game and helping Queensland win matches.
"Now I go home and I've got to change nappies, I've got to put kids to bed, I've got to try and calm screaming babies down," Renshaw explained. "When you're young, you go home, you have got nothing to do, so you're just sitting on your phone scrolling."
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With incumbent Test opener Sam Konstas under pressure after a poor tour of the West Indies, Renshaw's name has been floated as a potential replacement to partner Usman Khawaja against England in the upcoming Ashes series. However, the Queensland player is not keeping score against his domestic competitors, determined to control only what he can control.
Renshaw burst onto the international scene in 2016 at the age of 20, scoring a memorable 184 against Pakistan in his fourth Test. But after a lean run of form in the subcontinent in 2017, he was dropped from the national team and has struggled to regain his place since. Now, with a renewed sense of focus and perspective, the 29-year-old is hopeful of earning another opportunity to open the batting for Australia.
