FREEMAN’S REAL HERO BEHIND THE RUN SURGE
ASPIRING Test opener Marcus Harris says he is in career best form and Olympic hero Cathy Freeman is the reason for it.
Harris is on the cusp of earning a baggy green baptism against India in Adelaide next week as Australia searches for openers to replace suspended duo David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
The Victorian opener presented his final case for a Test debut with a gutsy 62 as the Bushrangers fell by eight wickets to Queensland at the Gabba yesterday.
Coach Justin Langer is weighing up whether to blood Harris in the series-opening match in Adelaide from next Thursday and if the 26-yearold does earn his first taste of Test cricket, it will have a lot to do with one of Australia’s greatest Olympians.
Harris, averaging 71.57 in the Sheffield Shield this season, said Sydney 2000 Olympics 400m champion Freeman was behind his rise to the Test arena.
“I have spent a lot of time with our coaches at Victoria with technical stuff in the nets but I have spent some time with Cathy Freeman as well,” he said.
“She is married to my manager (James Murch) so that is pretty handy.
“We have spent time just talking about the mental things, what drove her to be the best and how she found a way to keep herself motivated, so that was a pretty handy experience to have.”