Matt Renshaw incident comes to light as spiteful Aussie cricket drama erupts
The Test hopeful was involved in spicy scenes during South Australia's win over Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.
Nathan McAndrew has revealed how a run-in with Matt Renshaw sparked South Australia's wild celebrations after their thrilling Sheffield Shield win over Queensland. The Redbacks beat the Bulls by just three runs on Thursday, with Jordan Buckingham dismissing Usman Khawaja for 114 for the final wicket.
It marked just the fifth time in Sheffield Shield history that a match has been decided by three runs or fewer, and the first since 2003 when NSW beat WA by two runs. Buckingham and his teammates celebrated wildly after Khawaja's dismissal, but it wasn't just the thrilling finish that had them fired up.
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Speaking after the game, McAndrew revealed the South Australian players weren't happy with Renshaw's actions after his dismissal. After being caught down the leg-side off the bowling of McAndrew, Renshaw walked straight into the Redbacks' huddle as he made his way off the ground.
An unexpected detour for Matt Renshaw on his way back to the pavilion 👀
Queensland are two down early chasing 273 to win #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/Uu5L4MShVn— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 9, 2023
Renshaw, who appeared to have his head down and didn't see the South Australian players, bumped into the back of one of his opponents before walking around the huddle. He could then be seen exchanging some terse words with the Redbacks players, who told him the correct way back to the sheds.
"Matt Renshaw made a pretty interesting decision, the way he tried to walk off the field earlier in the morning," McAndrew told reporters at Adelaide Airport. "He had a few choice words for us at that point, which was quite bizarre.
"You don't really expect to see that from a batter when he's got out. There was no chat before that, so it was an interesting move from him to try and stir that fire up. But they who laughs last, laughs loudest.
"It adds a bit of fuel to the fire, but at the end of the day you're just trying to win the game regardless of what has occurred or not. Jordan Buckingham just came up huge for us there. He's as competitive as anybody I've ever met, so it was absolutely no surprise that he was able to come home for us in that moment."
Usman Khawaja heroics not enough for Queensland
McAndrew was the hero for South Australia, taking nine wickets for the match. "He is a serious player. Within our group he is rated so bloody highly," Buckingham said of McAndrew. "There is no doubt he will be in a baggy green one day."
Buckingham took 3-83 in the second innings and bounced back after copping some stick from the Bulls batters. "Certainly the best game of cricket I have ever been involved in. What a moment," he said. "I kept fighting. I feel like one of my strengths is to never give in. The boys bowled absolutely brilliant. (Khawaja) is an international class player and he showed that today. He was outstanding."
Playing in his first match in over a month due to a 'workload' edict from Cricket Australia, Khawaja came agonisingly close to getting Queensland home. After Renshaw's dismissal was part of a dire start for the Bulls, Khawaja and Joe Burns (91) put on 168 for the third wicket.
The Bulls still appeared firmly in control at 4-219 while chasing 273, but they lost their final eight wickets for just 91 runs. Khawaja and No.11 Mitch Swepson put on 20 runs for the final wicket, but they ultimately fell just three runs short.
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