Nathan McSweeney has never been the most flashy player in Australian domestic cricket. But that has not stopped him from being a player rated within the Australian cricket system.
After all, he made his Queensland under 17s debut as a 15-year-old in the 2014/15 Australia u17 Championships. The following season in October 2015 during the same tournament, McSweeney made a name for himself in age group circles with a knock of 96, leading Queensland to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Tasmania.
By the end of 2015 as a 16-year-old, McSweeney was playing at the u19 level, representing a Cricket Australia XI in the 2015/16 Australia u19 championships.
By the time he was 18, McSweeney had made a name for himself in Queensland cricket following a second-innings knock of 106 leading to Queensland Second XI defeating Tasmania Second XI in the 2017/18 Toyota Futures League.
The rise continued as the now-South Australian skipper scored an impressive 77 against an England Lions bowling attack comprising of Mark Wood, Tom Curran and Jack Leach in November 2017. He would end up making the Australian u19 World Cup squad in the 2018 edition, playing five games including the final where Australia u19 were thrashed by India.
Despite not scoring runs consistently at second XI level after a rapid rise to the Australia under 19 squad, Queensland took a punt on McSweeney as he made his first class debut as a 19-year-old against Tasmania in October 2018.
McSweeney showed his toughness on a seaming wicket, surviving for 179 balls and 238 minutes in his first-ever innings of professional cricket, scoring 35. But temperament would not be enough to secure a long-term spot in Queensland’s Sheffield Shield team.
Nathan McSweeney bats.(Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)
With a high score of just 35 after five first class games and having to battle for a spot in a team with Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw, McSweeney had to leave home pastures for South Australia at the age of 22.
His opponents for his first game for the Redbacks in red-ball cricket? None other than his beloved home state of Queensland, where he scored 22 and 32 in a drawn game while being dismissed by Mark Steketee in both innings. It was back to second XI cricket for the future Redbacks skipper following his Shield debut in South Australian colours.
McSweeney’s red-ball career started to change for the better in November 2021. Despite the headlines being all on Tim Paine’s return to cricket soon after his sacking as Australian Test captain in a second XI game between Tasmania and South Australia, it was McSweeney who impressed with scores of 96 not out and 55 respectively despite coming in a six-wicket loss in Hobart.
Recalled into the South Australian team late into the 2021/22 Sheffield Shield season, McSweeney played a huge part in South Australia’s successful run chase of 326 against New South Wales, scoring 99 not out as the Redbacks won their first Shield game in two years. The wait for a hundred at first class level would require McSweeney to be patient till his 12th game, scoring 118 in the first innings against Tasmania as South Australia went onto thrash Tasmania by 246 runs.
With another first class hundred coming in his following game (104 not out against Western Australia in February 2023), McSweeney would soon after receive a call up to the Australia A squad in first class series against New Zealand A in April and August 2023.
Despite never captaining in first class cricket for Queensland or South Australia, he was handed the Australia A captaincy. Although Australia A did not win under his captaincy against their Oceania neighbours, McSweeney impressed with 214 runs at an average of 42.8 in three games for Australia A.
Gaining confidence into the 2023/24 Shield season, hundreds against New South Wales (100) and Queensland (112 not out) saw South Australia win two of their first six Shield games. When he scored, the Redbacks won. When he didn’t, South Australia would be lucky to compete.
McSweeney ended the back end of the 23/24 Shield season strongly with match-saving knocks of 53 and 67, batting for 260 and 335 minutes respectively against NSW before his 117 saw South Australia beat Tasmania comfortably in a low-scoring affair.
Given the captaincy reigns at South Australia, McSweeney began this season of the Sheffield Shield brightly, with scores of 55, 127 not out, 37 and 72 seeing South Australia start the Shield season undefeated with a draw against NSW and a win over Queensland.
Showing his temperament with 166 runs in four innings against India A on tough batting wickets, McSweeney has received his maiden Test call-up to the Australian squad and is all set to debut against India as an opener. Now 25 years old and adding some freshness to an ageing (albeit successful) Test team, McSweeney will bring in his own strengths in his temperament and leadership skills to this squad.
Nathan McSweeney of Australia A prepares to bat (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
With his poor record for Queensland costing his career first class average to remain below 40, McSweeney’s averages for South Australia and Australia A are over 40. In his first class career so far, McSweeney averages 80.16 balls faced per innings.
In an era where run scoring has started to become difficult both at first class and Test level in Australian conditions, McSweeney has all the traits to at the very least blunt the new ball in seaming conditions.
Unlike other players in his age bracket, he does not play away from his body and prefers to leave and leave before clipping you square on both sides of the wicket. In short, he’s the Australian Murali Vijay. And when he goes out to bat in Perth, he’ll have his Brisbane Heat and former state teammate Usman Khawaja to help him settle down the nerves.
Nathan McSweeney may never become an entertainer who will draw in big crowds like Steve Smith, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja or Travis Head have done over the past few years. But he’s never been one.
And he does not have to change his batting process just because he will be playing at the highest level of professional cricket. Australian cricket has been calling out for someone who will fight their way in tough periods and tough conditions to bat on. They finally got one.
And it is up to the Australian selectors and general public to back him. With form on his side and leadership skills harnessed in his body since his teen years, McSweeney is one to watch out for.
>Cricket News
%20(3).jpeg)
0 Comments