THE STORY ON HARRIS
Q There are a few West Australian batsmen in the side which must make you happy. You spent a bit of time with one of them, Marcus Harris who currently plays for Victoria. What makes him special?
A I saw him as this cheeky, talented young kid. He was quite inconsistent, to be honest. You’d see flashes of brilliance. And when I say brilliance, he was facing some of the best bowlers in Australia and not necessarily destroying them but playing aggressive shots and scoring so freely. I remember thinking, ‘Wow. There’s something special about this kid’. But the consistency wasn’t there and he was only a short way through his journey as a batsman. He’s moved to Victoria and matured as a person and with his game as he’s gained experience. We’re seeing consistent performances from him and that’s what got him selected in the team. Good on him. It sends a good message to Sheffield Shield cricketers that if you score runs consistently you’ve got a shot.
Q What’s changed about him? I think when he left WA (then coach) Justin Langer called him ‘mediocre with flashes of brilliance’. A I think he must have frustrated Justin (laughs). When he left I think JL took it a little bit personally and gave him a whack on the way out. He was a little quirky but I always liked that. Cricket teams should be made up of different personalities. That’s what I loved. You can’t all be robots and you need to be able to embrace people in a team environment. He’s still quirky and a little bit cheeky. I think he was just so young and early in his journey as a player.
Q Will Harris make the XI?
A I’m not sure but if it was up to me, I’d have him in. I’d have (Aaron) Finch and Harris open, (Usman) Khawaja at three, Shaun Marsh next in, then Travis Head and Mitch Marsh at six, with Handscomb missing out.
Q What about the big Queenslander, Matt Renshaw?
A I do feel sorry for Matt. He was basically in the team in the UAE until he got hurt. Since then he’s been a bit lost. He didn’t get runs in those first few Shield games which I think might have got him over the line. But he’s certainly one to watch.