He’s potentially only an injury away from his first baggy green, but Yeoval product Chris Tremain won’t be resting on his laurels in his bid to stay in Australia’s Test frame.
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Tremain was named in Australia’s squad for the first two Tests against India but wasn’t needed and was released to play in Victoria’s final JLT Sheffield Shield game of 2018, taking 2-99 in a draw against Western Australia.
He was also left out of the 13-strong group for the third and fourth games of the series, named on Tuesday, and instead will be hoping to help his Melbourne Renegades take down the Perth Scorchers in their opening Big Bash League clash on Thursday night.
His hand is firmly in the air in terms of selection although his white-ball form hasn’t been in the same league as his red-ball efforts, having been named in the Renegades’ 13-man squad.
The Renegades also have bumper pace stocks in their squad in the likes of Kane Richardson, Joe Mennie, all-rounders Dan Christian and Jack Wildermuth, and Pakistani left-armer Usman Khan Shinwari.
“If you’ve got an opportunity to play cricket, you want to take that opportunity,” Tremain said.
‘‘When you’re sitting down doing nothing, you can fall in and out of form. Regardless of the format, you want to play.
“[Shinwari] looked dangerous with the new ball (in a Renegades’ intra-club trial last week) – a bit of power fade like Mitch Johnson used to get,” Tremain said of Shinwari.
“Really short and skiddy. Really good control. His yorkers he hit really well from both over and around the wicket.
“I think he could bowl anywhere during the game. And with his skills … I think he’ll be very hard to get away.
“It’s a really fickle business bowling in T20 cricket, and you can bowl well sometimes and you’re numbers don’t really reflect it,” Tremain said.
“That’s really magnified in T20 cricket, because you have a bad game and they’re really bad.”
Tremain explained after he was released from the Test squad he was told by selectors to simply keep doing what he’s doing, which has been superb in the long form in recent seasons.
Selectors preferred Pete Siddle as the extra quick to Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in the squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests.
“It can be a bit ‘horses for courses.’ If one goes down they might take Sidds, if another goes down they might take me,” Tremain said, the day before the Test squads were announced.
“If two of them go down they might take someone from outside the squad. It could change day to day and wicket to wicket.”
The Renegades open their tournament against Perth at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Thursday night, from 7.15pm.
