New Delhi. After missing out on a place in the Australian Test team, Marcus Harris has turned his attention to the 2024-25 Sheffield Shield season with renewed focus and a new mindset. Australian cricket player Marcus Harris told cricket.com.au before the domestic season, “The difference for me this year is that unlike last year, this year the threat of Test selection is not hanging over my head. He said, I know where I stand and the situation I am in, what is my age, I know that if I want to get a chance again, I will have to knock the door at any cost. It seems that they have pretty much decided on the six batsmen. But they’re not really sure what the order will be. The 32-year-old opening batsman was once seen as a possible replacement for David Warner. However, last summer the selectors experimented with the batting order and Harris was sidelined.
Steve Smith was brought in to open the innings in place of Harris and his rivals Cameron Bancroft and Matthew Renshaw. On the disappointment of missing out on selection in the Test team, Harris admitted that it was difficult for him to escape the uncertainty of his Test future, but he has taken steps to address the mental challenges that come with it. Becoming a father has also given Harris a new perspective. Welcoming his son Max just days before the start of the 2023-24 season, Harris acknowledged the challenges of balancing cricket with personal life at home. “When you have a little one, things change in terms of what’s more important and what’s not,” she said. He’s a year old now, so I wouldn’t say it’s getting easier, but I’m getting more used to being a dad.