Maddinson's Durban redemption gives Australia food for thought

Nic Maddinson knew exactly what his role would be in South Africa when he received the call from George Bailey two weeks ago. A dashing opener who complements Travis Head at the top but then also provides the option of slipping down to the middle order and being a threat against spin. Especially in the absence of Josh Inglis for the first Test, considering the Western Australian would have otherwise simply walked back into the team to replace Cameron Green.

Pretty straightforward. What none of them accounted for was the manner in which Maddinson’s first innings played out. Not just the fact that he didn’t make a score but more the way in which his agonising stay at the crease dragged out. The criticism was swift as it was brutal, and it came from all quarters. The common theme centring around the “we told you so” narrative.

Though most of the vitriol was directed towards the Australian selectors and coaching group rather than the left-hander himself, what was lost in the whole commentary was that this was Maddinson’s first Test innings in nearly a decade. Not to forget what he had to overcome to get back to this stage over the last 18 months. And even if the harshest critics tried to fire their bullets around Maddinson, insisting that they weren’t directed at him, it was unavoidable that his reputation as a Test cricketer would end up as collateral damage.

The big question in hindsight is if the overreaction was justified? Or if there was enough justification for it to have been even more scathing of the selectors? Should they have waited before both innings of the Test were done before tearing down the integrity of the selection?

As we found out, the answer to that last question is an overwhelming yes. Especially after Maddinson ended up producing a stunning assault in the second innings. Even if it was cut short at 48, it was exactly the kind of third innings fillip the Aussies needed after the South Africans had clawed their way closer to the first innings total than expected. So, despite having started the game with a 33-ball duck that will be a topic of discussion for years to come, Maddinson still ended up leaving Durban as a serious contributor in a famous Test win for his team.

It’s of course safe to say that Matt Renshaw saved Australia the blushes in every way possible at Kingsmead. But it’s likely that the visitors don’t manage to push Temba Bavuma’s captaincy into submission early on Day 4 if not for Maddinson firing on all cylinders from the very first ball he faced after having walked out to bat on a pair.

You wonder where it leaves the 34-year-old though, not just in the immediate future, as in the Gquberha Test that starts on Sunday, but over the next 7-8 months as Australia continue on their legacy-defining run around the cricket world. A Green return would happen the moment he’s deemed fit to even play as a batter. But that could easily mean the moving from Beau Webster with Alex Carey potentially slotting back to No 7. What Maddinson does need to get himself into the squad for the home summer against New Zealand are at least a couple more significant scores, that too made with the same intensity with which he recorded his highest Test score in Durban.

It was a role that he seemed destined to play three seasons ago, when he was finishing his time in Victoria as arguably the most attacking opener in the country. The perfect replacement for the retiring David Warner. It’s been well-documented that his shock recall came on the back of no first-class cricket in 18 months. But what his second innings proves is that it wasn’t a specific batter that the selectors were looking for, it was more a very specific archetype of batter, and Maddinson was the only one they thought could fit the bill.

Turns out it was a calculated gamble, doubly so since it allowed Renshaw to occupy a role that the top brass see him playing on Indian pitches, as the enforcer against spin. It doesn’t automatically mean the Queenslander, fresh from his 190 and 82 in Durban, won’t move back to the top of the order at some point either. What his prolonged success will also allow is for Travis Head to feel a bit more comfortable with the idea of rotating around from the spot he so proudly occupies currently and the one that got him all his success at No 5. To the extent that Australia could have a three-man tag-team run with their opening positions.

A rather avantgarde outlook that would run the risk of critique and ridicule if it backfires, but also one that could turn into a masterstroke. If Maddinson continues to avoid the line of fire and keeps taking every shot that comes his way.