Nic Maddinson’s return to Test cricket after nearly a decade got off to a disastrous start as the Australia opener endured a 33-ball duck against South Africa in the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, on Friday.Maddinson’s 0 off 33 balls is the third-longest duck by an opener in Test history. It is also the longest innings for a duck by a Test opener in the 21st century, making it an unwanted milestone on his comeback to the national side.The 34-year-old was dismissed after Travis Head fell for nine, leaving Australia in early trouble after captain Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat on the opening day.Maddinson was drafted into the squad as a replacement for the injured Cameron Green, making a return to the Test set-up after overcoming testicular cancer. His previous Test appearance came during the 2016-17 home summer, when he managed just 27 runs across three matches.However, his recall had come under scrutiny even before the series began, with former Australia opener Matthew Hayden questioning the selectors’ decision to bring back a batter who had not played first-class cricket since early 2025.Speaking on the All Over Bar The Cricket podcast, Hayden launched a scathing attack on the selection panel and questioned the standard of players being picked for the national team.“Where we are at is that we are promoting the greatest pile of mediocrity that we’ve seen in a generation of cricket,” Hayden said.He also questioned the expectation that players with modest first-class averages could translate that form into success at the highest level, taking aim at chief selector George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide.“And if we continue to lay that out and expect that a bloke averaging 35 is going to average 55 in Test match cricket, George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, you are dreaming. I will just put it that simply. You are frigging dreaming. And you are piling up this dog s*** explanation, and you are, in my opinion, disrespecting first-class cricket. Absolutely dead set you are. You should be picking guys that are averaging 45 or more, and you can’t, because they don’t want to play,” Hayden said.Maddinson’s first-class average of 37.11 had further fuelled the debate around his selection. Cummins, however, had backed the batter ahead of the series, saying he was settled in his game.With Head also dismissed cheaply, Australia faced an early test of their batting depth against a South African side that recalled Anrich Nortje and opted for two spinners. Kagiso Rabada was left out as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
