WHEN Matt Renshaw brought up his first Test century at the same age as Don Bradman in January 2017, David Warner’s opening partner was found.

But just months later, he was lost again.

Nine consecutive scores below 50 on the subcontinent and a lean start to the domestic summer was enough to seal his fate. It cost him a place in the 2017/18 Ashes series.

“I was just trying too hard,” Renshaw told SEN’s Whateley on Thursday about being dropped.

“I was just trying too hard to keep that opening spot rather than worrying about going out and doing my processes with the bat.”

It was a harsh lesson, but one the now 22-year-old feels he has learnt from ahead of his next Ashes opportunity in 2019.

“It’s not about putting too much pressure on myself [to remain opener]. I think I definitely did that before Christmas before the Ashes,” Renshaw said.

The batsman has already begun building his case for Ashes selection in England in 2019 by taking part in this year’s County Championship for Somerset.

Opening the batting, Renshaw took the competition by storm with 513 runs at 51.30, including three hundreds and one half century, before breaking his finger and returning home last month.

Despite his county stint being cut short, Renshaw said his experience playing in England has helped him mature and rebuild his confidence.

“It’s something (playing County) you see a lot of Australian guys do, especially with the Ashes over there next year,” Renshaw said.

“Having a season over there in England before the Ashes would be massive for my confidence and getting to know those sort of pitches and talking to a few of the really strong England guys who have been around at Somerset.”

One of those guys is teammate and former England opener Marcus Trescothick, whose accolades include reclaiming the Ashes in 2005 with 431 runs at 43.10.

Renshaw said tapping into the now 42-year-old’s valuable experience was something he “was really keen to do”, and has helped his development.

He added: “I think mentally, [playing County] was about being able to prove I can perform over there. It’s massive with that Ashes coming up that you need to have some runs in the bank, and I think I haven’t harmed my chances.”

Renshaw is racing to be fit for the four-day leg of Australia A’s tour of India, starting September 2. The opener has not hit a cricket ball in five weeks due to his fractured finger but hopes to return to training at the end of next week.