December 21, 2024: Nathan McSweeney has expressed his “devastation” after being dropped from Australia’s squad for the Boxing Day Test against India in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. McSweeney, who was a surprise selection to open in the second unofficial match between Australia A and India A, was axed from the squad after a difficult start to his Test career.
In the first three Tests of the series, McSweeney struggled to find his rhythm, scoring just 72 runs at an average of 14.40. Despite moments of promise, including a composed 39 under lights in the Adelaide day-night Test, he was dismissed for single digits on several occasions, with Jasprit Bumrah being particularly challenging for the young opener. Given the struggles of the Australian opening pair throughout the series, the selection committee decided to make changes for the Melbourne Test, bringing in Sam Konstas as the likely replacement to open in McSweeney’s place.
Speaking to Channel 7 as he was flying back to Brisbane from Adelaide, McSweeney shared his disappointment at being dropped: “Yeah, I mean devastated. I get the dream come true, and then didn’t quite work the way I wanted. But it’s all part of it, and I’ll get my head down and get back in the nets and work really hard and hopefully be ready to go for the next opportunity.”
McSweeney acknowledged the brutal reality of international cricket, where opportunities can be fleeting, and performance is paramount. “It’s the game we’re in. If you don’t take an opportunity and you’re not performing as well as you want to, your position’s never safe. So I missed out a few times with the bat and unfortunately wasn’t able to take my opportunity, but as I said, I’ll work really hard to make sure that if the opportunity comes round again, I’m definitely ready,” he added.
Even George Bailey, Australia’s national team chief selector, admitted that it was a difficult decision to drop McSweeney after just a small sample size of three Tests. “It was a really hard decision for Nathan and one that we spent a lot of time deliberating over. Particularly after a small sample size of three Tests… That’s never a great phone call, is it? Nathan was disappointed, and really, the message to him was much the same as at the start of the series, that we believe he has the ability and temperament to succeed at Test level,” Bailey explained.
Despite the setback, McSweeney’s ability to handle pressure and his strong temperament have not gone unnoticed, and the selectors remain confident in his future potential. For now, McSweeney is focused on getting back to the nets, working on his game, and ensuring he’s prepared for the next opportunity, whenever it comes.
