Ryan Harris has backed Victoria captain Peter Handscomb to flourish if he is recalled to the Test team this summer.

Handscomb was left out of the squad that toured the United Arab Emirates in October and has only played one Test since being dropped two games into last summer’s Ashes campaign.

The right-hander has been in good touch on the domestic scene, averaging 51.57 in the one-day cup and scoring a century in the most recent round of the Sheffield Shield. Harris believes the 27-year-old has ironed out the flaws in his game that England exposed last summer, and is primed to make the most of his next opportunity at the highest level.

“I think he (Handscomb) would be one I would like to see in there,” Harris, who is coaching the Cricket Australia XI outfit that will face South Africa on Wednesday, told SEN on Monday.

“He’s done a lot of work on his technique, he’s done a lot of work on his game and he’s gone away and made quite a few runs.

“He made a hundred in Shield cricket and four or five fifties in a row in JLT, so he’s probably one who could potentially come in.”

Handscomb took to Test cricket like a duck to water back in 2016, averaging 99.75 across his first four matches and scoring two centuries and two fifties. Earlier this month he told reporters he has reverted back to the method that brought him that success.

“It’s a bit of a mindset thing, going back to believing my technique is good enough,” Handscomb said after his century against South Australia.

“I had this technique for three or four years before playing for Australia, then I made runs with this technique as soon as I played for Australia. Then I tinkered with it, and more form started to drop.

“I’ve gone back to doing what I do really well, backing in my strengths. I’m feeling really good. I feel comfortable and good with my game.”

Handscomb will get his next opportunity to push for Test selection in a Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania, starting on Saturday.