Peter Handscomb aiming for a spot in Australia's 2023 World Cup squad after recent snub
Australian top-order batsman Peter Handscomb has expressed his desire to earn his spot back in the Australian cricket team after selectors snubbed him from the 26-man preliminary squad for the upcoming England tour.
Handscomb, who has played 17 Tests, 26 ODIs and 2 T20Is for Australia, has not played a single international match since the Aussies' exit from the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
Peter Handscomb 'hurt' to not be in Australia's 26-man preliminary squad
Speaking to cricket.com.au on Wednesday, Peter Handscomb addressed his recent snub from the Aussie team, stating that he was 'hurt' because he believed he was among the top 20 ODI players in Australia.
He said:
"To not be in the 26, that really hurt. I had a really, really good conversation with George. To his credit he said I'm competing against guys like Smudge (Smith), Marnus and (wicketkeeper Alex) Carey as well in terms of guys who control the middle order. They're pretty solid at the moment in terms of three, four, five (in the batting order)."
The 29-year-old had grabbed everyone's attention with an excellent century against India in a bilateral series played last year.
Since India will now host the ICC World Cup in 2023, Handscomb believes that he will likely earn his spot back in the team before the mega event.
"I would like to think with the World Cup in India in 2023 that I am at least on their radar. I'd consider myself a good player of spin and being able to control those middle overs. George did mention that (World Cup) in our conversation, that it is hopefully something I can aspire to. With that being three years away, there's still a lot of cricket to be played and water to go under the bridge."
Handscomb added that although T20 cricket requires batsmen to consistently score over ten runs an over, the ODI teams need batsmen who could rotate the strike in the middle overs. He described that way of playing as 'boring cricket' but believes that ODI teams need those type of players.