Australia v South Africa: Nic Maddinson makes record-breaking duck on Test return

Australia 187-6: Renshaw 46*; Mulder 2-31

For every Leicester City Premier League title triumph or Emma Raducanu run to US Open glory in New York, there are countless more examples of sport refusing to follow the fairytale script.

On Friday morning in Durban, 34-year-old Australia batter Nic Maddinson became the latest to experience the stubbornness of the sporting gods.

Maddinson's shock recall to Australia's Test side is notable for various reasons, most significantly because he only returned to cricket 12 months ago.

He was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his lung and lymph nodes, in April 2025. He missed most of last year to undergo surgery, chemotherapy and recover.

Even the most partisan of England fans would have wished him well.

But Maddinson's return, almost 10 years after the last of his previous three Tests, was tortuous.

He faced 33 balls and did not score a run, making his duck the longest by an Australian opener in Test history - the third longest by any Test opener.

Of those balls he faced, the left-hander missed 13 and edged one - the attempted cut to Marco Jansen that crashed back on to his stumps.

He could even have been dismissed earlier. Had the Proteas reviewed an lbw shout on the 15th ball he faced, the umpire's decision of not out would have been overturned.

And while Australia recovered somewhat from 124-6 to 187-6 when bad light brought an early close, the struggles of Maddinson and the top order pointed to wider issues in this Australia side.

Picking Maddinson over 23-year-old Cooper Connolly to replace injured all-rounder Cameron Green, Australia named an entire XI aged over 30 for the first time in their history.

The other new name in their ageing batting line-up from last winter's Ashes was 30-year-old Matt Renshaw, who made his debut 10 years ago.

Maddinson played on to his stumps after 32-year-old Travis Head was caught down the leg side for nine.

Afterwards, Marnus Labuschagne, also 32, batted nicely for 37 before falling lbw to Wiaan Mulder to the last ball before lunch. He has now gone 44 Test innings without a Test century.

And then, three balls after the resumption, 37-year-old Steve Smith edged Jansen to gully and later 35-year-old Alex Carey and 32-year-old Beau Webster fell in the space of three Anrich Nortje deliveries.

That left Renshaw to dig in to extend Australia's innings alongside captain Pat Cummins in the gloom.

Before this Test, legendary former Australia opener Matthew Hayden said Australia's selectors were "disrespecting first-class cricket" by picking Maddinson, whose two 50-over innings last month and four appearances in last winter's Big Bash were his only professional appearances since March 2025.

Even Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg had to defend the lack of succession planning during the lunch interval.

"Clearly our selectors have a firm view he is a talent and that is why they picked him," Greenberg told SEN.

"I understand why there has been debate but I am not going to sit here and get into selections."

This Test is the third in Australia's possible run of 21 before the end of next summer's Ashes - an unprecedented pile-up of fixtures that includes this tour against the world Test champions, a four-Test home series against New Zealand, a five-Test tour of India, a possible World Test final before latest contest with England.

The selectors can point to the fact that, other than Jake Weatherald who struggled in the Ashes and has since been discarded, no frontline batters averaged more than 40 in last year's Sheffield Shield.

By ending the day 46 not out, Renshaw also quietened the questions around why he was batting five here, having been recalled as an opener to play Bangladesh in August. The recovery led by the left-hander may yet win Australia this Test on a tricky pitch expected to deteriorate.

But, with 36-year-old Michael Neser and 37-year-old Scott Boland, picked as the back-up bowlers to Cummins, 33, Josh Hazlewood, 35, and Mitchell Starc, 36, the wider doubts around Australia's aging Test side are unlikely to go away.