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Australia's Matt Renshaw has had a transformation in his life since the last few years. Ahead of the Ashes 2025-26 squad announcement, he is not concerned. He doesn't even have the Cricket Australia app on his phone and goes into hiding when spending time with his family. Renshaw admits he wants to open in the Ashes at home but wants to live in the present.
"Obviously I want to be there, it would be remiss of me not to say that," Renshaw told reporters in Adelaide on October 22 on the eve of second ODI against India. "But I try and stay away from it as much as possible."
On his ODI debut, Renshaw remained unbeaten for 21 off 24 balls in the rain-curtailed run chase. The southpaw has been in decent form with a first-class century for Queensland earlier this month in Sheffield Shield 2025-26 encounter. Almost a month ahead of Ashes, Renshaw reveals how his approach has changed in Shield games.
"There's been times in my career where I come off after a Shield game, and obviously all the Shield games are on at the same time, and you're looking at the scorecard, you're looking at different names, seeing how they went," he said.
"Now, like the first Shield game [this season], I couldn't tell you who scored runs in other games.Knowing that it doesn't really matter in terms of someone else scoring runs, it doesn't matter to how I'm going to go out and play my game."
From scrolling on phone as youngster to not having Cricket Australia app
Renshaw made his Test debut against South Africa as a 20-year-old. His previous Test appearance was against India in 2023. From 14 Tests, he averages 29.31 with 643 runs to his name, including a century and three fifties. He reveals how fatherhood has changed the way he thinks.
"A lot of the time you try and force a few things, you see someone else gets runs, and you go: 'I need to score runs because then I'm going to be picked for Australia, then I'm going to become a good person'," he said.
"That whole mentality when you're young is that's how you view yourself as a person. Whereas now I go home and I've got to change nappies, I've got to put kids to bed, I've got to try and calm screaming babies down.
"When you're young, you go home, you have got nothing to do, so you're just sitting on your phone scrolling. I hide. I don't have the Cricket Australia app, I don't try and look at any news, I hide all the cricket stuff on my Instagram so I don't see it."
Renshaw on his chats with teammate Khawaja
Renshaw takes inspiration from Australia's veteran opener Usman Khawaja who has had ups and downs in his career as well. Now, he has understood that cricket is a part of his life and not everything.
"Once you sort of realise that it might not happen again, you talk to people," Renshaw said.
"I am really close with Uzzy, he thought his Test journey was over and look at him now. I try and talk to him about he's going about it. It's just amazing, it's almost like once you let go of that one side of playing for Australia, that's what I need to do," Renshaw said.
"I have two kids now, they're a huge part of my life, so it's knowing that cricket's not like my sole reason, it's everything else. If I get everything else in order, the cricket will just take care of itself."
How are Renshaw’s chances for the Ashes?
With young Sam Konstas being inconsistent, the opening spot is up for contention. Marnus Labuschagne was dropped and then picked in the ODI squad after Cameron Green was ruled out. Labuschagne has been scoring centuries to show the selectors that he is ready to perform. Renshaw will be one of the players considered a spot in the Ashes squad, especially after he replaced Labuschagne in the ODI squad. The remaining two ODIs against India may be crucial for the southpaw.
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