{"id":921964,"date":"2026-10-09T15:12:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/921964\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:12:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:12:14","slug":"cricket-2026-nic-maddinson-australia-test-selection-south-africa-pat-cummins-mark-waugh-kerry-okeeffe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/921964\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket 2026: Nic Maddinson Australia Test selection, South Africa, Pat Cummins, Mark Waugh, Kerry O\u2019Keeffe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nic Maddinson\u2019s remarkable return to Test cricket has begun with a rusty knock, with the Aussie opener dismissed for a 33-ball duck in the first Test against South Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Maddinson on Friday opened Australia\u2019s innings alongside Travis Head in Durban. He was at the crease for 49 minutes, but failed to score a run before being bowled by Marco Jansen,<\/p>\n

Watch Australia\u2019s Tour of South Africa Live & Exclusive on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to cricket analyst Ben Jones<\/a>, Maddinson\u2019s stay at the crease was the third-longest duck by an opener in Test history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey (South Africa\u2019s bowlers) worked him over, ball after ball after ball, giving him nothing to score off. And then when they bowled a bad one, it was very wide and he basically couldn\u2019t reach it. So in the end he was suffocated and became a victim of his own determination, yes, but also inability to cash in on anything that was there,\u201d SuperSport commentator Mark Nicholas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThirty-three balls for his nought. I said it was cruel to watch, you think (about) he\u2019s come back having not played Test cricket since 2016, been through illness, he\u2019s had to fight mentally \u2026 it was a tough watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fox Cricket commentator Kerry O\u2019Keeffe added: \u201cIt was a get off-the-mark shot after 33 deliveries.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, to be brutally harsh, he could have got a pair because he was out LBW earlier and eventually got naught.\u201d<\/p>\n

PLUM! Maddinson survives after no review | 00:31<\/p>\n

O\u2019Keeffe was referring to an incident earlier in Maddinson\u2019s innings where he was struck on the pads by Wiaan Mulder, but the Proteas opted not to review the not out decision. Replays later suggested a review would\u2019ve been successful as it was LBW.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a proactive player, he\u2019s a proactive opener \u2026 but it was a 33-ball nought here,\u201d O\u2019Keeffe said during the lunch break.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe South Africans, credit them, they didn\u2019t allow him to get into any rhythm. And then he overplayed the \u2018get out\u2019 shot. It was very Travis Head-like, he chopped on trying to hit a ball he may have left but he wanted to get away and get off the mark.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Waugh, who played 128 Tests for Australia, said Maddinson appeared \u201cnervous\u201d at the crease.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe missed a few \u2018gimme balls\u2019 on leg stump. His technique was slightly exposed \u2026 I didn\u2019t like the way he was falling over. His head position was a bit Jake Weatherald-like,\u201d Waugh told Fox Cricket.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll look back at that and think: \u2018I can do better than that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddinson was earlier named his first Test appearance in a decade \u2014 a decision which had already surprised the Fox Cricket team.<\/p>\n

Former all-rounder Brendon Julian said it was a \u201cmassive surprise\u201d. O\u2019Keeffe suggested the selection was \u201ccontroversial\u201d but said Maddinson could be coming back into the Test side at the perfect time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s controversial, given that he hasn\u2019t played Test cricket for 10 years,\u201d O\u2019Keeffe said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he could be at the peak of his powers.<\/p>\n

South Africa’s Marco Jansen bowled out Australia’s Nic Maddinson. Picture: AP Photo\/Themba HadebeSource: AP<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s much respected within the side.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very good player of spin and this pitch is going to spin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Waugh said he was also surprised by the decision, believing Cooper Connolly may have been the better option.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought Connolly, I would have played him at five,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy that Nic Maddinson is there as cover for whatever happens, but I think Connolly\u2019s a bit unlucky, because he offers left-arm spin as well. He\u2019s a younger guy, he\u2019s played pretty well in the ODIs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprises me, but I can understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maddinson hadn\u2019t played Test cricket since 2016. His return broke the Australian record for the most Tests missed between appearances<\/a>, with Maddinson sitting out the previous 90 matches.<\/p>\n

Tim Paine and Brad Hogg previously shared the record, having both missed 80 Tests between appearances for Australia.<\/p>\n

But Australian captain Pat Cummins backed the decision, saying Maddinson is in a much better place with his game heading into his return.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s really settled with where his game\u2019s at,\u201d Cummins said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s shown good form. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo one in Australia\u2019s had a lot of cricket in the last six months, but I feel like he\u2019s really well placed.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/p>\n

AUS V SA LIVE: Aussies make shock selection call in top order shuffle as Cummins scores early win<\/a><\/p>\n

CAMERON BANCROFT: Startling act after sandpaper disaster… and bombshell claim behind ugly conspiracy calls<\/a><\/p>\n

Australia’s Nic Maddinson is hit by a delivery from South Africa’s Marco Jansen. Picture: Marco Longari \/ AFPSource: AFP<\/p>\n

Waugh, meanwhile, explained why Australia may have decided to go left-field rather than turn to some of the other names pushing for a Test recall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t want to go with the younger guys because they haven\u2019t made enough runs, they\u2019re not ready,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other guys on the periphery, your McSweeneys, your Handscombs, your Pattersons, no one\u2019s knocked the door down.<\/p>\n

\u201cMcSweeney averaged 28 last season in Shield cricket, so that\u2019s not enough to be a No. 3 for Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n

But despite the surprise around Maddinson\u2019s selection, Waugh believes the Aussies may have made the right call.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably the best ball striker, top three ball strikers, in Australia when he\u2019s playing well,\u201d Waugh said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s had some off-field challenges, rebooted his whole life I think.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they get the best out of him, he\u2019s better than the other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Maddinson, his return to the Test team is remarkable for reasons much bigger than cricket.<\/p>\n

Maddinson was diagnosed with cancer just last year and has previously opened up on some of the toughest moments he faced during his battle, including explaining what was happening to his young son August.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hardest part was having to tell August I couldn\u2019t play with him,\u201d Maddinson told The Sydney Morning Herald.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was just so physically exhausted that I couldn\u2019t get off the couch.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe understood quite a lot of what was going on. He\u2019s a pretty intelligent kid. He was always rubbing my hair and asking what happened to it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just told him that I was sick, and I was taking some medicine that made my hair fall out. We told him I was going to be OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, just over a year on from his diagnosis, Maddinson is back playing Test cricket for Australia in what has been a remarkable comeback.<\/p>\n

Even Victorian Sheffield Shield caller Adam White was blown away by the journey back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has to be one of the most extraordinary cricket stories I can remember,\u201d White wrote on X.<\/p>\n

But unfortunately for Maddinson, his return to the Test arena didn\u2019t go to plan.<\/p>\n

After spending just over 10 overs at the crease without scoring a run, Maddinson\u2019s dismissal sparked some brutal reactions from the cricket world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nic Maddinson\u2019s remarkable return to Test cricket has begun with a rusty knock, with the Aussie opener dismissed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":921965,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,85,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-921964","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921964\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/921965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}