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Nathan McSweeney scored 39 and 88 runs for Australia A in the first official Test against India A, which was played in Mackay last week.
David Warner backs Nathan McSweeney to open for Australia in Test series against India. (Picture Credit: ICC)
Former Australian opening batter David Warner has backed Australia A captain Nathan McSweeney to open for the Baggy Greens in the upcoming five-match Test series against India. The 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is set to start on November 22 in Perth, and the next four matches are scheduled to take place in Adelaide (December 6-10), Brisbane (December 14-18), Melbourne (December 26-30), and Sydney (January 3-7).
Warner, who used to open for the Aussies in all three formats of the game, announced his retirement from international cricket earlier this year. The 2023 WTC winners used Steve Smith as his replacement at the top of the order, but the experiment failed, and now Smith is all set to bat at No. 4 for the Baggy Greens.
Australia auditioned a number of players in the first unofficial Test against India A in Mackay last week for the vacant opener’s slot, but it appears that Australia A captain McSweeney, who has never opened in his First-Class career so far, has managed to seal the deal.
The 25-year-old South Australian cricketer McSweeney scored 38 runs in the first inning and remained unbeaten on 88 in the second against India A, which his side won by seven wickets.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday morning, Warner backed McSweeney not just as an opening prospect but also as a future leader.
“I think McSweeney’s got the runs on the board, but I think you look further down the track as well—II know you’ve got Marnus (Labuschagne) and Travis Head and Mitch Marsh, but he’s got leadership potential as well,” Warner was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
“He looks a complete player, and I think he’s a good fit with Uzzie (Usman Khawaja) at the top of the order. We’re in a good position, and we’ve got a lot of talent, which is exciting,” he added.
McSweeney, who is yet to play for Australia at the highest level, has featured in 33 First-Class matches so far and has 2213 runs to his name. His batting average in red-ball cricket is 38.82.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the latest episode of The ICC Review also backed McSweeney to open in Tests.
“I don’t think they’d go back to a Cameron Bancroft or Marcus Harris because if they’re willing to do that, they would’ve done it the last year. So, the only name left for me more or less is Nathan McSweeney, who is Queensland-born now playing for South Australia. He got the most out of any of those guys from the ‘A’ game in Australia at the moment.”
“And he’s more experienced. He has captained Australia A in the past, and he’s captaining them now. So, I’m leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer,” he added.
- Location :
Sydney, Australia
