After batter Nathan McSweeney was axed from the Australia squad after his recent struggles against India, former England player Michael Vaughan said that the 25-year-old can return to the team in the future as a middle-order batter.
“I look at McSweeney and think I don’t think there’s a player who has had a harder start to their career. I feel for the kid, because of all the people that I’ve seen come into Test cricket over the last 10 years, I don’t think anyone’s been given a harder challenge. To face Bumrah in the conditions that he’s had to face now, the pink ball under lights in his second game, in Perth it did all sorts and in Brisbane the ball was moving around,” Vaughan told Fox Sports.
“I thought they’d go with McSweeney for Melbourne, and if he failed again, they’d bring Sam (Konstas) in for his home Test at the SCG. I don’t think in the long run it’s going to be a bad thing for McSweeney. I think he will end up being an Australian Test cricketer, but I don’t think he’ll be up the top of the order; I think it’ll be down at four or five. If I was McSweeney, next time I get the chance to wear the baggy green, I’d want him to be in the position that he’s played all his life. I feel for Nathan, I think he’ll be back — but I totally understand why Australia made this move,” he added.
McSweeney has had a torrid time in the ongoing Border Gavaskar series whenever he has faced Jasprit Bumrah, getting dismissed 4 times in 6 innings. He also hasn’t had the best of luck with the bat scoring 10, 0, 39, 10 not out, 9, and 4 in his 6 innings.
This led to him losing his spot in the team with the selectors opting to go for teenager Sam Konstas in the next two Tests.
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