Victorian coach Chris Rogers has endorsed Peter Handscomb as the eventual successor for Steve Smith at No. 4 in the Test side, arguing the state veteran deserves another chance at international cricket.
Handscomb, who played 20 Tests for Australia between 2016 and 2023, is currently the Sheffield Shield’s second-leading run-scorer with 350 runs at 43.75, while during last week’s 300-run victory over NSW at the SCG he struck a century against a bowling attack that included Test superstars Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.
On Monday, the 34-year-old was named captain of the Prime Minister’s XI for the upcoming two-day, pink-ball match against an England XI in Canberra, which will help the tourists prepare for next month’s day-night Ashes Test at the MCG.
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Speaking to Fox Cricket’s Domesticated, Rogers acknowledged that Handscomb is a much improved batter from eight years ago, when the right-hander had a tendency to play on the back foot deep in his crease, often trapped on the pads or beaten on the inside edge.
“He doesn’t get the credit that he deserves,” Rogers said.
“There’s always that perception that he’s exactly the same player he was when he played Test cricket, but I’ve seen his growth.
“He’s gone away and understood that the style of batting he had when he played Test cricket probably wasn’t going to stand up, and it took him a while to get rid of the stubbornness around that, but since then, he’s been so open to a different style.
“If you go and watch that hundred he got against Starc and Hazlewood, you’ll see it’s a very different model. Just how he looked to get forward, he looked to punch back into the ball. He wasn’t just standing on the back foot behind the crease line. It’s a game plan that would do pretty well in international cricket.”
Handscomb, who made his international debut against South Africa in 2016, cracked two hundreds in his first four Tests but has since averaged 27.20 in the game’s longest format with three fifties across 28 knocks. He was expected to feature in Australia’s squad for the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka, but ultimately missed selection.
However, Rogers believes that if national selectors were searching for a worthwhile replacement for whenever Smith decides to hang up the boots, they wouldn’t need to look further than Handscomb.
”If he got the chance again, I think he’d be much better prepared,” Rogers said of Handscomb.
“If Smith was to retire and there was that opportunity needed for a stable Test No. 4, I think that could definitely be Pete.
“Hopefully he keeps scoring runs for us and things play out and he gets another opportunity to get Test level.”
Victoria, currently undefeated in the Sheffield Shield with four wins from four matches, will next face Queensland at the Gabba from Saturday.
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