Peter Handscomb

Peter Stephen Patrick Handscomb (born 26 April 1991) is an Australian cricketer who is the current captain for Victoria and Middlesex.

Peter Handscomb

Handscomb in October 2011
Personal information
Full name	Peter Stephen Patrick Handscomb
Born	26 April 1991 Box Hill, Victoria, Australia
Nickname	Hank
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Batsman, Wicket-keeper
International information
National side	Australia (2016–present)
Test debut (cap 447)	30 November 2016 v South Africa
Last Test	3 January 2019 v India
ODI debut (cap 219)	19 January 2017 v Pakistan
Last ODI	11 July 2019 v England
T20I debut (cap 94)	24 February 2019 v India
Last T20I	27 February 2019 v India
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2011/12–present	Victoria
2012/13–2019/20	Melbourne Stars
2015	Gloucestershire
2016	Rising Pune Supergiants (squad no. 54)
2017	Yorkshire (squad no. 54)
2019	Durham (squad no. 54)
2020/21	Hobart Hurricanes (squad no. 54)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 16 22 111 108 Runs scored 934 632 6,500 3,180 Batting average 38.91 33.26 37.57 38.31 100s/50s 2/4 1/4 14/38 3/20 Top score 110 117 215 140 Balls bowled – – 66 – Wickets – – 0 – Bowling average – – – – 5 wickets in innings – – – – 10 wickets in match – – – – Best bowling – – – – Catches/stumpings 28/0 14/0 176/4 99/5
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 9 December 2019

He is contracted domestically to Victoria, the Hobart Hurricanes[1] and Middlesex. He is also in the current squad for Tests, Twenty20 Internationals and One Day Internationals for Australia. He is a middle order batsman and occasional wicket-keeper. He initially had the role of wicket keeper for the national team when former keeper Matthew Wade was unavailable. He most recently kept during the First T20I against India in February 2019, replacing vice-captain Alex Carey in the lineup.

Early life and junior career

He had also been a talented junior tennis player, but eventually chose to pursue cricket.[2]

He played for Victoria at both under-17 and under-19 level,[3] and went on to play for the Australian under-19 cricket team during the Sri Lankan under-19 team's tour of Australia in October 2009.[4]

Domestic career

Having spent the 2011 season playing English club cricket for Tring Park, as well as several matches for Leicestershire in the Second XI Championship.[5] Handscomb debuted for Victoria during the 2011–12 Australian season, playing as a top-order batsman. He scored 42 and 71 runs, respectively, in his first List A and first-class innings, both in matches against Queensland at the Gabba.[6][7] Handscomb's first century in Sheffield Shield matches came against South Australia in February 2012, an innings of 113 runs at the Adelaide Oval.[8] Towards the end of the season, he was also used as Victoria's wicket-keeper, with both Matthew Wade and Ryan Carters unavailable. Handscomb was awarded Cricket Victoria contracts for both Victoria and the Melbourne Stars for the 2012–13 season.[9] In Victorian Premier Cricket, he plays for the St Kilda Cricket Club, and led the club's batting averages during the 2011–12 season.[10] Handscomb also holds British citizenship, with both of his parents English immigrants to Australia.[2]

Handscomb's break-through first class season occurred for Victoria in 2014–15, when he scored three centuries and averaged 53.91. He also made his mark in the Big Bash League, playing for the Melbourne Stars, where he scored an unbeaten century against the Perth Scorchers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[11] His century was the first time he had passed a score of 25 in the BBL, and he was the only batsman to pass 20 in his side's three-wicket win. He played county cricket for Gloucestershire during 2015, and began touring with Australia A, becoming captain of the team in early 2016.[12]

International career

In November 2016, immediately after his maiden first-class double century against New South Wales[12] and amidst the backdrop of Australia's disastrous home series loss against South Africa and the retirement of chairman of selectors Rod Marsh,[13] Handscomb was one of several players brought into Australia's Test team ahead of the dead rubber third Test against South Africa.[14] He made his Test debut on 24 November 2016,[15] and was presented his baggy green cap by Chris Rogers.[16]

Batting at number five, Handscomb made an impressive start to his Test career, scoring 399 runs at an average of 99.75 across the remaining four home Tests of the summer: one against South Africa and three against Pakistan. He scored his maiden Test hundred (105) in the first Test against Pakistan at the Gabba, in a 172-run partnership with skipper Steve Smith,[17][18] and followed it with 110 in the third Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Peter Handscomb became the first batsman in history to score his maiden test century in a Day Night test match. With half-centuries in the other two matches, Handscomb became the second Australian Test cricketer to score a half century in each of his first four Tests,[19] and was not dismissed for less than fifty in any innings.

He made his One Day Internationals (ODI) debut in Perth on 19 January 2017 against Pakistan,[20] and was presented his ODI cap by Adam Gilchrist.[21] In his debut innings, Handscomb was caught behind for 0, but it was shown that the bowler, Junaid Khan had bowled a no-ball. He went on to score 82 in Australia's successful chase of 264 against Pakistan, the third highest debut score by an Australian in an ODI. On 30 January 2017, Handscomb deputised for Matthew Wade as wicketkeeper against New Zealand.[22]

In April 2018, he was awarded a national contract by Cricket Australia for the 2018–19 season.[23][24] In February 2019, he was named in Australia's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against India.[25] He made his T20I debut for Australia against India on 24 February 2019.[26]

In March 2019, he scored his first century in an ODI, with 117 against India at Mohali.[27]

In July 2019, Handscomb was added to Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He replaced Shaun Marsh, who was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a fractured forearm.[28]

As Handscomb missed out on the selection for The Ashes squad, meanwhile he got a spot in Durham squad and replaced Cameron Bancroft to play in 2019 Vitality Blast.[29]

Playing style

Handscomb is a very capable and versatile fielder, having fielded around the slip cordon, short leg, point and also at wicketkeeper.

As a batsman, Handscomb is known to play the majority of his shots off the front foot, and also plays very deep in his crease, dangerously close to the stumps. While the intention of this technique is to get more time to react to the ball, in reality it makes him vulnerable against pace bowlers with sideways movements (inswingers and off cutters from right-hand bowlers). This issue is further exacerbated by his tendency to change his batting guard during his innings. This issue was exposed during his recall to the test team in 2018 against India, where Australian legend Shane Warne likened him to a ‘lamb to the slaughter’ and in the 3rd test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, his home test, he was dropped from the test team. [30][31]

References

1. "Melbourne Stars thank Peter Handscomb". Melbourne Stars. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
2. Coverdale, Brydon (2011). Young gun Handscomb looks to bat long – ESPNCricinfo. Published 25 October 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
3. Miscellaneous Matches played by Peter Handscomb (31) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
4. Under-19 ODI Matches played by Peter Handscomb (4) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
5. Second Eleven Championship Matches played by Peter Handscomb (2) – CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
6. Queensland v Victoria, Ryobi One-Day Cup 2011/12 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
7. Queensland v Victoria, Sheffield Shield 2011/12 – CricketArchive. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
8. Handscomb, Quiney give Victoria good start – ESPNCricinfo. Published 2 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
9. Peter Handscomb player profile – Victorian Bushrangers. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
10. Saints in 2012–13 – Victorian Premier Cricket. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
11. Hogan, Jesse (22 January 2015). "BBL: Peter Handscomb century drives Stars to win over Scorchers". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
12. "Handscomb in prime position for Test debut". Cricket Australia. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
13. "Australian cricket's chairman of selectors Rod Marsh resigns". Retrieved 20 November 2016.
14. "Renshaw, Maddinson, Handscomb to make Test debuts". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
15. "South Africa tour of Australia, 3rd Test: Australia v South Africa at Adelaide, Nov 24–28, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
16. baggy green
17. "Australia's quicks blow Pakistan away". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
18. "A tale of two rookies". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
19. "Peter Handscomb equals 96-year-old Australian record with fourth half-century since Test debut". Fox Sports. 4 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
20. "Pakistan tour of Australia, 3rd ODI: Australia v Pakistan at Perth, Jan 19, 2017". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
21. @phandscomb54 receives Australian ODI cap No.219 from the great @gilly381
22. "Sore Wade uncertain for Napier ODI". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
23. "Carey, Richardson gain contracts as Australia look towards World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
24. "Five new faces on CA contract list". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
25. "Australia name squad for India tour". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
26. "1st T20I (N), Australia tour of India at Visakhapatnam, Feb 24 2019". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
27. "Peter Handscomb maiden century keeps Australia in hunt against India in Mohali". News Nation. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
28. "Peter Handscomb replaces injured Shaun Marsh in Australia's World Cup squad". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
29. "Durham brings in Peter Handscomb to replace Bancroft". SportStar. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
30. "Handscomb must make change: Ponting". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
31. "England will be hoping Australia continue to pick Peter Handscomb for Ashes, says Ricky Ponting". Fox Sports. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.

External links

• Peter Handscomb on Twitter