The upcoming three-match T20I series will be an opportunity for not only the Australian team to revive its fortune in India, but also for Moises Henriques who has not quite managed to perform as per expectation in international cricket.
The all-rounder, who had scored an impressive 68 and 81 not out on his Test debut in challenging conditions of Chennai four years ago, has not enjoyed a consistent outing at the highest stage of the game due to his inconsistent displays. However, the 30-year-old, who feels he is good enough to excel in international cricket, is hopeful of turning around his career in the upcoming T20I series.
“I definitely think I’m good enough to play at this level,” he was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
“A lot of the opportunities I’ve had with Australia in the past have been in different roles to what I play now for my domestic team. And also they were when I was a lot younger than in the past two years as well,” he added.
The reason behind his newly-found confidence is that he feels his game has matured in the last couple of years or so.
“I feel like my game has come a long way in the past two or three years and I probably haven’t got as many opportunities to play for Australia in that time. But I’m looking forward to this opportunity coming up now,” he said.
Henriques has been one of the most consistent performers in Australia’s domestic circuit for quite some time now. He averaged more than 47 in the last three seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket, 63 in the One-Day Cup and over 36 at a strike rate of 130 in the Big Bash League in addition to enjoying a fruitful outing in the Indian Premier League.
However, his international career wears a contrasting look. He average nine in 11 ODIs which is the lowest of any Australian top-seven batsmen in ODI history to have played at least ten games. His Test and T20I records are not promising either, but the matured all-rounder is now hopeful of making his mark at the highest level of the game.
The all-rounder further said the new players would bring the much-needed excitement in the Australian team that is looking low on confidence after losing the ODI series 4-1.
“A lot of the guys have been on the road since the start of (the) Bangladesh (tour), but we’ve been lucky enough to be back home,” he said. “We’re fresh, and we’re ready to go. Hopefully we can bring a bit of excitement … and hopefully, rev the some of the guys up here.
When asked about the reasons that led to the world champions’ dismal show in the ODI series, Henriques said:
“I can’t quite put my finger on where they faulted in the ODIs. All those guys that have IPL experience will be pretty keen (to do well). With Steve Smith and David Warner leading the charge in IPL experience, hopefully, they can lead the way over the next three games.”