Jury out on McSweeney as fans get glimpse at Test future

by Admin
November 11, 2024

Australian cricket fans will get their first glimpse of the future against India, but concerns surrounding the inclusion of Nathan McSweeney are mounting.

The South Australian skipper is the first building block of the side’s mass transition, set to fill the shoes of one of Australia’s great openers in David Warner as a string of veterans prepare to leave the game.

However, McSweeney — who is only the second specialist batter to earn a Baggy Green since 2019, behind Will Puckovski — has never opened in Sheffield Shield cricket, batting in the middle-order and first drop for South Australia.

Batting greats Michael Hussey and Adam Gilchrist are among those concerned the 25-year-old will be thrown to the wolves if asked to take on India’s new-ball attack.

Former Australian opener Ed Cowan, who last week labelled McSweeney mediocre, then added on Monday he felt the youngster had not proved he was up to it.

“As someone who opened the batting for Australia, I could not be happier for him,” he told The Grandstand Cricket podcast.

“He’s a good first-class cricketer, but I still don’t think he’s the right man to open for Australia.

“Cricket Australia were begging for a data point (allowing McSweeney to open against India A), and you know what they got? They got an open blade.

“In both innings (he got out with) a 45-degree bat, caught at slip and caught behind. Opening the batting is about solid defence; it’s about leaving the ball well, particularly when it’s moving, and the data would suggest that at the moment in his career, he doesn’t have the technique, nor the temperament, to do it.

“Do you know what a selection when data doesn’t support your point of view is? It’s a guess.”

These sorts of questions are set to dog Cricket Australia for the coming summers as they figure out how best to manage the twilight of their current golden generations’ careers.

Usman Khajawa, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are all expected to call time on their careers in the coming years.

And Cricket Australia will be eager to avoid a generation gap such as the pit they fell into after the retirements of greats such as Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne, Damien Martyn and Justin Langer and then again when Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey placed the willow in the cupboard.

National coach, Andrew McDonald, who has recommitted to the role until 2027, has admitted as much, going from being unwilling to talk “future-proofing” to 12 months later saying it was vital.

Nathan McSweeney of Australia A prepares to bat. Credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images

“People take it back to 2007 when mass players have exited, and they’ve struggled to obviously perform at the same level – we’re not beholden to the past,” he said last month.

“I think if you get the selections right on the back of players exiting, then the transition is lot smoother.

“So it’s about making sure that we don’t exit senior players too soon and lose that knowledge within that playing group. That’s incredibly important for us to get that balance right.

“Our mindset is always about … future proofing in the team. Test cricket has been slightly different, we have been really settled and almost predictable in the way that we have gone about it. That’s not a bad thing … we’re number one in the Test rankings.”

The pressure won’t faze McSweeny, who has been forced to earn his chances the hard way.

He made his first-class debut as a thick-maned 19-year-old for Queensland, earmarked for higher honours before getting stuck behind his idol, Marnus Labuschagne.

Nathan McSweeney of Australia A celebrates his half century. Credit: Albert Perez/Getty Images

In his three years at the Bulls, he managed five red-ball matches, forcing a move to struggling South Australia, where he still only played three Sheffield Shield matches in his first season.

And he had all the early makings of a cult hero, bowling his part-time off-spin in a cap to tame his wild curly hair and making a remarkable fielding stop on the SCG boundary in match for Melbourne Renegades.

However, an unbeaten 99 in the State’s first red-ball victory in two years paved the way to a regular gig and then captaincy.

He’s now played 34 matches for an average of 38.16 with six centuries, and while the jury is out, he says he will be ready to do his duty as Test cap 467.

“I’ve been able to perform pretty consistently over the last couple of years in Shield cricket; I feel like my game’s constantly getting better, and I’m improving. I feel like I’m playing the best cricket I have,” he said after news of his selection broke on Sunday.

“I feel like my game’s ready.”