Nathan McSweeney expected to make his debut for Australia in upcoming BGT 2024-25 Test series
"I don’t think they’d go back to (Cameron) Bancroft or (Marcus) Harris because if they’re willing to do that, they would’ve done it last year," Ponting had said.
25-year-old uncapped Australia cricketer Nathan McSweeney is expected to make his debut for the national team in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25). Pat Cummins’ men will take on Australia in the much-anticipated series from November 22, and the first Test will be played in Perth.
Ahead of the series, there had been some major discussions over who would open the batting for Australia after Steve Smith was moved to the middle order. However, it is expected that McSweeney could be filling the role of the opener. It is worth noting that McSweeney was recently promoted to the top of the order in the recent clash between Australia A and India A at the MCG. Batting at No. 4 for Australia A, McSweeney scored 39 and 88* across the two innings, but despite his performance, the 25-year-old will be moving to the top of the order for the tour match in a bid to prove himself.
Interestingly, McSweeney has never opened the innings in a domestic game before. However, former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting recently took centre stage and opined that the 25-year-old was the obvious choice to open Australia’s innings alongside the veteran opener, Usman Khawaja.
"I don’t think they’d go back to (Cameron) Bancroft or (Marcus) Harris because if they’re willing to do that, they would’ve done it 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,” Ponting told the ICC Review.
“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.
Australia will clash with India in BGT 2024-25 series starting in Perth
The 'Baggy Greens' are all set to kick off the first Test commencing on November 22, and McSweeney is expected to open. Hence, Australia will hope that the 25-year-old can perform his best in what could be his potential international debut in Perth. Notably, the coveted Border Gavaskar Test series is part of the World Test Championship (WTC) with the WTC final qualification berth hopes at stakes for both the cricketing giants.
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