Matt Renshaw's return to the Test century-makers list after nearly a decade was a special moment, but his unbeaten hundred against South Africa at Kingsmead marked a shift in approach for the Australian batsman looking to loosen the shackles of his red-ball game.
The 29-year-old reached his second Test century at Saturday's lunch break, last reaching three figures in the second innings of the first Test against Pakistan at Sydney in January 2017. Unbeaten 102 helped Australia to a recovery position after a nervous start on Day two, the tourists being 277/8 at the close of 96 overs.
The knock saw Australia end their wait for a Test century in South Africa since 2014 and their wait for the first at Kingmead since 2009.
Matt Renshaw seeks to bring white-ball freedom to Test cricket
The wait for a Test century has been a lengthy one for Renshaw. On the Unplayable Podcast, the left-hander spoke honestly about the pressure he put himself under as he vied for his spot in Australia's Test team.
“I had red-ball cricket on such a pedestal for a long time,” Renshaw said. “Trying to get into that Australian team I tried too hard. Whereas my white ball (game) was nice and relaxed. Just watch the ball, hit the ball.”
The 30-year-old is now trying to bring a similar approach to bear on Test cricket. He has seen times when the expectations he set for himself prevented him from playing as freely as he wanted, especially in the early days of his career.
“Going into an international dressing room with some of my heroes was exciting but I didn't really know how to cope with the pressure,” Renshaw said on the podcast. “I'd had this amazing opportunity and I didn't really know how to do it.”
Renshaw believes he is better equipped to deal with such situations now and has more experience to draw upon. He is choosing not to think about the weight of the game and focusing instead on playing his natural game – one ball at a time.
Matt Renshaw steadies nerves as Australia push back
Matt Renshaw's poise was critical as Australia tried to recover from a difficult opening day against South Africa. Winning the toss to bat, Australia were 84/4 before losing their sixth wicket at 124, putting the tailenders on the spot.
Their Queensland batsman came to the crease after Marnus Labuschagne was leg-before-wicket on the final ball of Friday's first session. The intervening lunch break gave Renshaw the chance to prepare for the conditions before facing the South African attack.
“I was getting my eyes used to the light, getting the body moving how I wanted to,” Renshaw said.
He remained unbowed on 46 when bad light ended Friday's play with Australia at 187/6. Captain Pat Cummins was on 33 not out batting with his young fellow Queenslander. They had begun to restore some of the momentum from their opening day total, when their 86 partnership for the seventh wicket was cut short. Nevertheless, South Africa continued to press home their attacks, with Mulder cleaning up four wickets for 51 runs, and Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortje both claiming two.
Mitchell Starc fell to Mulder for six as Australia struggled to build any sort of first innings total. Instead, Renshaw steadied the ship. He brought up his half-century from 117 balls before completing his hundred off 204 deliveries. He was on an unbeaten 102 at lunch on Saturday with a further 10 boundaries, after Nathan Lyon had reached seven at the other end.
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Versatile batsman Matt Renshaw is key to Australia's Test plans
Renshaw's versatility has been key to Australia's Test plans as they continue to shuffle their batting line-up in order to adapt to the conditions. Travis Head's promotion to open the innings is only one sign of the flexibility required at the international level.
“I just prepare as much as I can for whatever. With the one-dayers … it shows I can be pretty versatile,” Renshaw said, as quoted by the Australian Associated Press.
The batsman also stressed the importance of being able to wait his turn at the crease, especially with the long spells of red-ball cricket he has missed out on. It can be difficult to stay focused when the sessions become drawn out, or the momentum of the innings changes.
His knock at Kingsmead saw Renshaw have to dig deep and remain patient. With Renshaw's wickets falling around him, he resisted the temptation to force the pace and concentrated instead on building an innings that might provide Australia with a fighting chance at the match.
After the pressure he has put himself under to deliver in Test cricket, Renshaw has found he is better at finding the right balance between discipline and freedom. His latest century was a crucial step forward, but he still has a way to go before he can make the most of his skills on a regular basis.
However, with Australia still looking to put together a competitive first innings total, Renshaw's work was far from over on lunch on Day 2. His ability to continue batting with the same composure could be critical to Australia's success at the match.