Matt Renshaw said his match winning innings against Bangladesh helped remove doubts after a difficult run with the bat.
The Australian batter scored an unbeaten 89 from 52 balls in the second T20I in Chattogram on Friday. His knock helped Australia reach 196 for 5 and set up a seven run win that sealed the series.
Renshaw came to the crease when Australia were struggling at 44 for 3. He then joined forces with Tim David and helped turn the game around.
The pair added 97 runs and shifted the pressure onto Bangladesh.
Renshaw said the partnership grew through good communication rather than a fixed plan.
“I wouldn’t say there was a plan, it’s just the way obviously Timmy (David) plays. There was a short boundary, the wind was going that way, he felt the matchup. But it was more just a really good communication around what we were after, which bowlers we felt like, whether we wanted to attack or not,” he said.
“But I think the big one was that even if we did have a few dots, it wasn’t the end of the world. We felt like we could still score.”
The left hander admitted he had been searching for answers after a run of low scores. He said he focused on batting with freedom and clear intent.
“For me, it was just about having really good intent. I felt like that’s something that I’ve lacked over the last, especially the one dayers,” he said.
The innings gave Renshaw confidence at an important time in his career.
“Today was a really important innings for me, just after a run of low scores, just remembering why I wanted to play and how I wanted to play,” he said.
He added that he was pleased with the way he started his innings, regardless of the final score.
“As I said before, I could have got 20, but the way that I started was one of the best starts that I’ve had in my career.”
Renshaw said the performance helped him believe in himself again after moving between formats and teams over the years.
“I think there’s always those doubts around whether you’re good enough, especially when you’re in and out of formats and in and out of teams.”
“So it was nice to sort of realize that I am good enough at this format.”
The Australian also praised fast bowler Nathan Ellis for his work at the end of the innings when Bangladesh were pushing hard in the chase.
“I think Nathan Ellis, I haven’t had much to do with him over my career, but watching him go about it, the way that he can execute the slower balls, I’d compare him to the Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman),” he said.
“I think it’s probably some of the best death bowling I’ve seen.”
Australia have now won the first two matches of the series and will look to complete a clean sweep when the teams meet again on Sunday.
