Nevill relishing his role in Australian team

MOHALI: One of the many surprises that the Australian selectors sprung for the World T20 was the inclusion of Peter Nevill. Replacing Matthew Wade in the squad, Nevill was expected to be their leading wicketkeeper since the retirement of Brad Haddin. Statistically, Nevill's Sheffield Shield performances are standout and he has been very good with both bat and mitts since joining the Test team during the series against New Zealand.
But perhaps had Wade not departed to the Melbourne Renegades, Nevill may not have even been able to get a game in the Big Bash League, where he averaged just a shade over 15.His keeping is quite refined though, almost a wicketkeeping artifact from a forgotten era, where wicketkeepers were selected on the basis of their glovework more and runs and T20 hitting skills less.
The reason Nevill was part of the squad was because the selectors thought Australia have enough batting firepower, as a result of which Nevill is batting lower down the order. On his Test debut, the 30-year-old scored 32. But that has remained his only significant knock. Catches and stumpings have been few and far and in the previous two innings against New Zealand and Bangladesh, he's managed eight runs without any impact behind the stumps.
Though that is through no fault of his. He knows he is primarily in the side as a wicketkeeper, and it is something that lights up his eyes when he's speaking of it. "The fundamentals of a wicketkeeper have to be the same, but obviously it is a lot more exciting with a lot of spin," Nevill said. "A lot of wickets we have trained so far have turned quite a lot. It's fun to practice your wicketkeeping when the ball is ripping past the bat. It is always enjoyable as a wicketkeeper," said Nevill.
In a day and age where modern wicketkeepers put on a helmet, Nevill relishes the sharp turn and bounce. Nevill's experience in the limited-overs format isn't much - his T20 debut against South Africa earlier this month was his first. "I have been selected to do a particular role here, and haven't looked (at) anything beyond that. With respect to national selection, Test match cricket was entirely the focus before this opportunity popped up, and I am enjoying every minute of it," he said.
With the exception of Usman Khawaja, the Australian batsmen have struggled to score ones and twos. That is one of Nevill's assets as a classical batsman. There may be an argument for having him come in around the 10th over, with a motive of keeping the score to motor along, but Australia won't risk keeping someone like a Glenn Maxwell for later in the innings. With most of their batsmen struggling, as has been the case in the two matches, Nevill admits to be working on his batting.
"Absolutely. I have been trying to learn as much as I can. To have guys like Michael Hussey around (is excellent). I have been also been chatting around a lot with Finchy (Aaron Finch) and Shane Watson. We have got some incredible T20 International batsmen to learn from. I have, sort of, tried to be as much as a sponge I could be in the training and learn as much as I can," he said.
Batsmen will be crucial to Australia's chances. Their big-profile players in David Warner, Smith, Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson have lately been among the runs. Overall, the batting-order is nicely balanced with Warner already has two centuries and a couple of 90-plus scores in T20I ODIs combined in 2016. Smith's T20 record may not be as impressive as his exploits in Tests and ODIs, but like Warner, he too has runs behind him. Watson's heroic century against India, when he stepped up following Finch's injury was just the innings he and Australia had been waiting for.
"I think our order is a good order. We have certainly got the batsmen to put in the top performances in this match, and I am confident they will do that. We haven't been as clinical as we wanted to be, but this game against Pakistan is a good opportunity. A lot of guys in the change room will be really looking to turn it on and put some big performance," he added.
Australia's next game against Pakistan in Mohali is a must-win for both sides. While Pakistan simply need to win after losses to India and New Zealand, Australia wouldn't be willing to keep things for last. It may also boil down to net run-rate but Nevill says that Australia are presently focussed on winning the next two games. Despite Pakistan having themselves given up, he reckons it'll be foolish to take them lightly.
"That may covered in our team meeting this afternoon, but I would imagine we would just want to win this game and the next game against India. If you drop one of these games, then obviously we are relying on other results going our way. We rather not be in that position. The game against Pakistan is a must-win for us.
"I certainly don't think Pakistan lack batting firepower. We just have to look at a couple of players who, on their day, could be really destructive. I certainly know there won't be any complacency from our point of view. We won't be underestimating them. If we don't perform well, we will lose," said Nevill.
Among Group 2, New Zealand have already qualified for the semi-final, and as the place for the second semi-finalist gathers heat, the remaining teams will be kept a keen eye on, Australia in particular, considering their chequered history in the World T20.
"Honestly, there has not been a whole lot time to reflect, I suppose. Once this tournament is over, hopefully we are celebrating and I suppose (I) will have some time to reflect. It's been a pretty hectic, whirlwind last year for me," he said. "You don't really have much time to look, you particularly don't want to look back because you are afraid it might impact upon your performance in the next thing that is coming up."