Opener finds a way to thrive
THREE years ago he was cast as the “mediocre’’ man of Australian cricket but yesterday a cheeky text message welcomed Marcus Harris to the “brotherhood’’.
Australian coach Justin Langer felt moved to emphatically quash recent insinuations he once fell out with Harris over his move from Western Australia to Victoria, passionately calling the Test bolter to face India in Adelaide, his “little brother”.
As Harris yesterday scrambled to find his dog Archie a “puppy hotel’’ in Melbourne for Christmas upon finding out he’ll now be on the road with the Australian team, his phone pipped with a message from Langer that simply said, “Welcome to the brotherhood, you little bastard.”
When Harris left WA for Victoria, Langer was quoted describing the left-handed opener who bats in his own image as “mediocre with flashes of brilliance.”
But after sitting atop the Sheffield Shield run-scoring list for the second straight season, Harris is now vying with Peter Handscomb for a place in Langer’s Test XI.
Harris is relying on Langer moving Usman Khawaja from opener to No.3, while Handscomb’s hopes rest on selectors feeling a righthander is needed to break up the flow of lefties in the middle order.
Langer doesn’t back away from his old comments, but vehemently set the record straight about rumours of a
rift with his diminutive protege born out of the same junior club in Perth.
“Let me squash this right away. Marcus Harris is like my little brother … I keep reading the headlines and it’s like a dagger in my heart. It’s an absolute myth and I hate myths,” said Langer.
“Did I say mediocre with flashes of brilliance? Yeah I did. That’s because that’s what he was. That’s the truth.
“He’d get 20s and I used to want to shake him every time.
“Last time we spoke about it (his move to Victoria) he sat there and spoke to me for an hour-and-a-half and I tried to talk him into staying. By the end I said, ‘No, I get it. I understand. Have a fresh start.’
“We had a big hug and have been in touch ever since. What he’s done to his great credit is become a really consistent opening batsman, with flashes of brilliance. And that’s what really good players do.”