Melbourne: Australian cricketer Peter Handscomb, who failed to make it to the 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, has admitted that his omission did not come as a surprise as he was not putting enough runs on the board.
The 27-year-old, who hasn’t crossed the single figure mark with his domestic team Victoria in nine out of last eleven innings that he played, further stated that despite pushing hard, he could not get through to the Test squad.
“It’s the same old – you’ve got make runs to be playing for Australia and I haven’t been putting numbers on the board that’s needed to represent this country,” Cricket.com.au quoted Handscomb, as saying.
“I was backing myself to score runs in the subcontinent. I had a tough tour (this month) with Australia A in India, but I know I can do it and I’ve done it before both in India and Bangladesh. I was hoping to get the chance in the UAE, but unfortunately it didn’t come through,” he added.
Reflecting on the areas he needs to work on, the right-hand batsman said that he should focus more on executing his plans on the pitch.
“I’ve got to make sure I keep my strengths going; I can tinker with a couple of things, but (don’t) go away too far from what I know. I feel good in the nets, I just need to convert it out in the middle. It’s more mental than anything. I know my game is good enough, I’ve just got to back myself and stick to my strengths,” he added.
Australia are slated to play their first Test against Pakistan from October 7 in Dubai, followed by the second match at Abu Dhabi from October 16.
ANI