Reports | Matt Renshaw to take short break after being axed from Queensland Shield Squad

Matt Renshaw has decided to take a short break from cricket to recharge his batteries after being left out from the Queensland Shield squad following a poor run of form with the bat. The reason for axing was that the southpaw had not hit a century for 28 innings. The out of favour opener was set to be named in the Cricket Australia XI to face the England Lions but his decision to take a break from the game has opened doors for Usman Khawaja who now will take his place.

"As part of our usual review process of player performance, our coaching and support staff spent time with Matthew this week and they all came to the conclusion that he would benefit from some time away from cricket. We're confident Matthew will benefit from a break from the game to freshen up, and look forward to working with him once he is ready to resume playing," Queensland Cricket's general manager of performance, Bennett King told News Corp, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The opener has so far played 11 Tests, scoring 636 runs at an average of 33.47. However, his last Test was in March 2018 in South Africa, where he was called in as a replacement post the ball-tampering saga. But, he showed form in the ninth edition of the Big Bash League, where he scored 348 runs at a strike rate of 148.84.