Australia chief selector George Bailey has defended the decision to include Nic Maddinson in the squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, despite the batter not playing a first-class match for 19 months.
Maddinson’s selection came as a surprise, particularly after he missed the entire Sheffield Shield season last year following successful treatment for testicular cancer in 2025. His return to the Test setup comes amid injuries to Josh Inglis and Cameron Green, with the 34-year-old now in contention to add to his three Test caps, which came back in 2016.
The decision reportedly left some key figures in Australian state cricket surprised, given Maddinson’s lack of recent first-class cricket. Bailey revealed that Maddinson only found out about his selection late on Thursday, before making a quick trip to his Byron Bay home to collect his passport and Baggy Green ahead of travelling from Sydney on Saturday.
“Certainly, it’s a pretty unique set of circumstances that he hasn’t been playing first-class cricket. Which I think, in itself, is a pretty cool story, and [it’s] great to see him back playing, but [also] just in a place where he’s really enjoying it. If you look across his last three or four years, he’s had some incredible bad luck with an ACL [injury], a bad arm-break … so he’s had periods where he’s been firmly in our thoughts and conversations around some different teams at different times, but it just seems like the cricket world’s conspired against him,” Bailey was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.
“I think his elevation this year to the New South Wales captaincy says a lot about the person and how highly he’s regarded … he’s a good player. That’s not to say that others that haven’t been picked aren’t good players, but I don’t think you can view this one and say it’s disrespectful to state cricket because he hasn’t played last year. I think it’s not like a player who’s sitting out because he said the wickets were green.”
Bailey explained that Australia’s selection dilemma increased after Inglis suffered a fractured finger, ruling him out of at least the first Test. The selectors therefore needed a player who could provide batting cover as well as another wicketkeeping option. Sam Harper‘s inclusion has addressed the latter requirement.
At the same time, Australia’s concerns over Green’s recovery from an abdominal injury ahead of the Durban Test forced the selectors to consider a player capable of covering multiple positions. Matt Renshaw’s wrist scare, although he has since been cleared, also added to the uncertainty surrounding Australia’s batting options.
“I think probably the challenge for people is to get past what he [Maddinson] has had to go through in the last 12 or 18 months,” Bailey said. “For people who are trying to run down the list of last year’s run-scorers, that’s going to be a challenge for them. For the time and place that we are in right now, the conditions we’re about to face, and the moving parts that we’ve had, he’s just deemed the best fit. I don’t think there’s a long list of players that provide that flexibility who can genuinely say that they can do both of those roles.”
Maddinson was among the leading Sheffield Shield batters between December 2018 and March 2024, averaging 52.37 during that period. However, his return to New South Wales in the 2025-26 season did not produce the same numbers, as he averaged only 17.80.
His poor returns came during a difficult period, with Maddinson experiencing fatigue that he initially believed was due to a virus before being diagnosed with cancer. Since March, he has played only grade cricket, the Big Bash League and the One-Day Cup. Despite that limited first-class exposure, Bailey believes he is physically and mentally prepared for the demands of Test cricket.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “That’s what he’s prepped for. [He] has been back at New South Wales this year, full-time, ready to go. So physically, mentally, [he’s] well-placed.”
Another factor behind Maddinson’s selection is his ability against spin. Bailey believes that could prove particularly valuable in Durban, especially after Australia encountered difficulties against the surface during the first ODI of the ongoing series.
Maddinson averages 47.97 against spin in first-class cricket, compared to 35.49 against pace. With South Africa potentially preparing conditions that could assist their spinners, Australia see his experience against spin as another reason for his inclusion.
“[Nic] is a strong player, a very strong player, of spin and [that’s] not to dismiss work against quick bowling. Probably from that one-day wicket and looking at their [South Africa’s] squad a little bit, I think it’s half an expectation that’s probably what we’re going to get hit with in Durban,” Bailey concluded.
