Vics talk up Harris’ claim for Test spot

VICTORIAN captain Peter Handscomb would have had Marcus Harris in the Test batting debate well before the opener’s career-best innings.

Harris was man of the match for his unbeaten 250 as Victoria thrashed NSW by an innings and 107 runs in their Sheffield Shield match at the MCG. Injured tailenders Trent Copeland and Mickey Edwards defied Victoria for an extra half an hour on Saturday, taking the game into day four.

But paceman Scott Boland bowled Edwards in the second over yesterday morning to dismiss NSW for 179 and seal Victoria’s second innings win in as many Shield Games.

Victoria is on a roll, having also won the one-day title, and now Harris has entered the Test batting debate with his first double ton at any level. Harris has impressed Handscomb since moving to Victoria from WA two years ago.

“He’s really put his hand up, but he’s been doing a good job for us since he came here,” Handscomb said.

“It’s a shame that it’s taken this long for his name to come up. I think he was a chance earlier, for sure.”

NSW captain Peter Nevill also praised Harris’ innings, but noted the game might have turned out much differently had they not dropped a chance from the opener when he was yet to score.

Harris, 26, left WA with a stinging critique from thenWA coach Justin Langer, now in charge of the national team, who called him mediocre with flashes of brilliance.

But Harris has scored 1790 Shield runs since the move, the most in that time. He has eight Shield tons, including two last season, and in 65 first class matches Harris has scored 3928 runs at an average of 35.38.

Handscomb, another potential Test candidate, was left kicking himself after he worked hard to reach 48, only to get out on a poor shot. AAP