Nic Maddinson vs SA: The Test series between Australia and South Africa has kicked off, but the start of the first Test match proved to be quite disappointing for the Australian team.
The team lost both its opening batsmen with the total score standing at just 24 runs. However, the inclusion of left-handed batsman Nic Maddinson in the Australian playing XI for this match marked one of the most remarkable comebacks in cricketing history.
Having defeated a serious illness like life-threatening testicular cancer, Maddinson stepped onto the field wearing the Test jersey after nearly a decade. Yet, his comeback did not go as hoped; despite facing 33 deliveries, he failed to even open his account.
Third-longest duck in Test history
Nic Maddinson has joined the list of openers in cricket history who were dismissed without scoring a run despite facing a significant number of deliveries. Maddinson spent 33 balls at the crease but failed to score any runs.
This marks the third-longest duck in terms of balls faced before dismissal by an opening batsman in the entire history of Test cricket. It is also the longest duck by an Australian opener.
In the history of Test cricket, only Trevor Gripper and Darrin Murray are ahead of him in this regard. Trevor Gripper was dismissed without opening his account after facing 36 balls against the West Indies in 2000.
Similarly, Darrin Murray failed to get off the mark and returned to the pavilion after facing 39 balls against Sri Lanka in 1995. Now, Nic Maddinson's name has also been added to this list.
Test Return After 9 Years and 283 Days
Maddinson last played three Test matches for Australia in 2016, against South Africa and Pakistan. He remained out of the team for a long period thereafter, spanning 9 years and 283 days between his previous Test and this match.
This marks the second-longest gap between two Test matches in the history of Australian Test cricket. He is surpassed only by former captain Bob Simpson, who played a Test match after an interval of 9 years and 305 days between 1968 and 1977.
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