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Australia's Yorkshire-born batsman Matt Renshaw ready for Ashes verbals when he takes on England

Australia's Yorkshire-born batsman Matt Renshaw ready for Ashes verbals when he takes on England

Matt Renshaw knew that if he batted well for Australia, he would get a shot at playing for the Ashes against England.

Despite being born in Yorkshire, and a family friend of current England captain Joe Root, Renshaw didn't hesitate when selected to make his Test debut for Australia in November last year against South Africa, aged 20.

And now, a year later and 10 Tests into his international career, Renshaw is expecting plenty of verbal banter from the England players and the Barmy Army in the series-opening match on November 23 at the Gabba.

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He may even have provided some fodder, unwittingly, as a six-year-old learning the game and trying to emulate the likes of Root, who is five years his senior.

"I used to cry when I got out and he (Root) is probably going to pull that one out maybe," Renshaw said. "It'll be interesting to see."

Renshaw arrived in Australia with his family when he was 10, after spending three years in New Zealand. He was given a rookie contract with Queensland state straight out of high school, potentially to keep him out of England's selection sights. And after a relatively short apprenticeship in the Queensland Sheffield Shield team, he was picked to partner David Warner at the top of the order when Australian cricket was in a rebuilding phase.

Asked if he intended to catch up with Root in a social setting during the Ashes, Renshaw said: "Hopefully I can catch him a couple of times at first slip.

"He's a very good player and hopefully we can get him out quite quickly early on. He's one of the best four batsmen in the world at the moment, so we've just got to treat him like any other batsman and try and get him out cheaply."

Renshaw will have friends and family from Britain and Australia in the stands at the Gabba.

"I've got a few family friends coming out for the Ashes... it'd be nice to play in front of them," he added. "It's probably a little more (special) playing against my birth country but it'd be great to beat them, wouldn't it?"