Peter Handscomb, who was left out of the Aussie Test side for the tour of Sri Lanka, says he is confident the selectors will find space for him.
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Despite his “high” confidence, Handscomb has been left out of the Australian squad heading to Sri Lanka in the coming days.
The 33-year-old is regarded as the country’s best batsman against spin bowling and many, including Handscomb himself, believed he would be an asset on the spinning Sri Lankan pitches.
But the Victorian was not included in the 16-man squad, with selectors opting to recall Nathan McSweeney instead.
According to head selector George Bailey, Handscombe is in line for the tour of Sri Lanka in case injury intervenes, but one cannot help but feel sorry for the veteran middle-order batsman, who has scored the most 50+ scores in the first class in 2024.
“Confidence was pretty high,” Handscomb said. Code Sports.
“Some of the conversations we had were all about, ‘What do I need to do to prepare if I’m selected? The question was, ‘If the choice goes your way, what can I do to best prepare?’ ‘So it always feels good when they ask you what you want to prepare.
“It still sucks every time I’m not selected or eliminated.”
Handscomb also revealed what Bailey told him about his non-selection.
Many believed that the Sri Lanka tour squad could look ahead to the future as Australia had already secured a spot in the final of the World Test Championship.
But Handscomb said that wasn’t the case and Bailey said the same thing he said to the press. The best team possible was chosen.
“It was clear to me that this was not a development team,” says Handscomb bluntly.
“They’re not going there to test people. And that’s what George has always told me since he was in charge.
“Test cricket, especially the Test Championship, is very important now. And even if you finally pass, every test is important.
“So this isn’t just a tour where you play random people. They are still trying to win and they are trying to win both Tests.”
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Despite the recent setback, Handscomb remains hopeful that he can achieve success once again on the Test pitch.
“I’m still looking at all the test tours. And the only thing I can do is keep playing, whether it’s here in Australia or going and playing in the county season,” he said.
“As long as I can continue to put up scores, I will give my best not only in the subcontinent series but in every Test series.”
Australia’s first Test against Sri Lanka will be played in Galle on January 29.
