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Along with fellow Test rookie Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb yesterday continued his bright start in international cricket.
Yet as he was grinding 64no on day one of the first Test against Pakistan, Handscomb displayed a technical quirk which will undergo heavy examination by canny Test pacemen.
The Victorian reminds me of English batsman Gary Ballance in the way he seeks to play off the back foot constantly, sometimes even to very full deliveries. It was this same tendency which eventually undid Ballance after his generous success early in his Test career.
The left-hander averaged 68 with the bat in his first ten Tests, in the process becoming the third-fastest Englishman in history to crack 1000 Test runs.
In an extraordinary turnaround, Balance has averaged a paltry 18 in his following 11 Tests. The New Zealand quicks were the first to expose his back-foot obsession during their Test tour of England in May last year.
To that point Ballance had scored heavily square of the wicket on the offside. He did this by playing very deep in his crease and cutting, gliding or squirting away length deliveries.
Noting Ballance’s preference, Kiwi swing bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee maintained unusually full lengths. Often, when Ballance looked to come forward to these deliveries, his front foot still was only on or even inside the crease.
This made him a sitting target for that Kiwi pair. The Australians learned from this and they, too, looked to pin Ballance to the crease. The tactic worked, again, and he was dumped after just two Tests in the Ashes.
It seemed patently clear Ballance would continue to be found out by skilful quicks. His technique was too flawed for Test cricket. Ballance needed to alter his approach but is yet to show that he can adapt.
Handscomb looks likely to experience the same challenge at some point in his Test career. Like Balance, the 25-year-old rarely takes a full stride to the pitch of the ball, except when facing spin.
It seems harsh to be picking holes in the technique of a young batsman who has half centuries in each of his first two Test innings. But Handscomb is still in the honeymoon period some cricketers can enjoy early in their careers before opposition teams begin to hone in on their weaknesses.
On true pitches like the one prepared for this Gabba Test, Handscomb may get away with propping on his back foot. But against better bowling or on decks offering seam movement he could prove to be a far easier target. That’s entirely enough negative analysis for now, though.
What has stood out, even more than Handscomb’s technical foible, is the impressive strength of his concentration. He did not do it easy yesterday. Handscomb had to scrap for his runs. While captain Steve Smith cantered to an unbeaten ton at the other end, the young batsman had to push through several dry periods where the Pakistani bowlers choked him up.
Yet, similar to the patient Renshaw, Handscomb did not allow the pressure to get to him. He maintained his focus, waited and waited and waited for a loose ball and then either put it away or got off strike. This gritty batsmanship, devoid of ego, is what Australia have badly lacked for years now.
While Australia are unlikely to get this from cavalier strokemaker Nic Maddinson, Renshaw and Handscomb have showed signs they can add steel to the batting line-up.