‘Turtle’ Renshaw breaks into a sprint

All of 20 wickets fell on the first day of the County Championship clash between Somerset and Yorkshire. But that was the least noteworthy happening at Taunton on Saturday, 28 April. The day belonged to Matt Renshaw.

The Australian opener broke a flurry of records on his way to a 99-ball 112, on a day when the next wicket was just a few overs away.

Renshaw’s first 52 runs came solely in boundaries, with ten fours and two sixes. He equalled the second-highest score containing only boundaries in first-class cricket.

Furthermore, he dealt in sixes. He got off the mark with a six, he brought up his half-century with another maximum, and three figures came with another biggie. It took him just 86 balls to score his second consecutive century.

All this from a guy monikered ‘Turtle’ for his usually assiduous game.

“I never really go out there thinking I'm going to try and, not slog, but play lots of shots," he said after play. “It just felt right on that wicket.”

Renshaw replaced his national teammate Cameron Bancroft at Somerset, just days before the start of the season, after Bancroft was banned for his role in the ball-tampering scandal that engulfed Australia in March.

His debut, against Warwickshire, went splendidly with an unbeaten 101 in the first innings, but that was the Renshaw you’d come to expect – battling hard on a zippy surface, his century on debut was all the more impressive as just two other teammates reached double figures.

What made him change his game around, though? "It was a pretty different innings to my normal game but having assessed the wicket this morning, I didn't feel comfortable just fending at it,” he said. “I was better if I was playing full cricket shots.

“They were bowling really well and I felt that if I fended one and nicked off, it would really annoy me. I tried to take the game on and put pressure on their bowlers – who are coming off a really good win last week (against Nottinghamshire) – and tried to come out on top.

“I guess it was just my lucky day."

If the morning session belonged to Renshaw and Somerset, the rest of the day was a see-saw affair. Jack Brooks returned 5/57 as Somerset were bowled out for 216 in 47.1 overs, Renshaw making up 51.8% of the total.

The Yorkshire batsmen fared worse – the 19-year-old Harry Brook’s 78-ball 32 was the highest score of the innings, as they were bundled out for 96 in just 49.4 overs. Somerset ensured that in the two overs that remained in the day, the wickets remained intact.

On a tricky pitch, would Renshaw consider a few more big hits? "It will be a good challenge for me to try and bat a bit tomorrow and try to put more pressure on their bowlers,” he said. “The wicket is quite interesting. The odd ball starts swinging and it's nipping about a little bit, which is quite different to what I am used to.

"We talked about summing up conditions and trying to work out the wicket. That (big-hitting) was the way to go today. It's probably not the way to go in the second innings.

"It's about trying to adapt. Last week in the second innings, I probably got carried away and tried to go the same way, so I need to asses tomorrow morning and have another look and see what the best way to go is.

“This has been a good start for me but there is a lot of cricket to go this season. Hopefully I can carry on like this.”