Nathan McSweeney, the captain of South Australia, is open to playing county cricket to boost his chances of being recalled to the Test team. While his main focus is leading South Australia to victory in the Sheffield Shield final, he is interested in pursuing opportunities in county cricket if they arise.
Nathan McSweeney is hoping to guide South Australia to the Sheffield Shield title
McSweeney, who is 25 years old, debuted as an opening batsman for Australia at the beginning of the Border-Gavaskar series. However, he was dropped after three matches and replaced by Sam Konstas due to struggles against Jasprit Bumrah, managing only 72 runs in six innings.
He was included in the tour of Sri Lanka as a reserve batter, but did not play. Konstas was also omitted and returned to play in the Sheffield Shield, while Travis Head was promoted to opener, and Josh Inglis joined the middle order.
Head will return to the No. 5 position for the World Test Championship final, creating an opening at the top of the batting order. However, with Cameron Green expected to return as a batter, Australian selectors face a challenge in accommodating both Green and finding a partner for Usman Khawaja at the opening position.
In a recent Sheffield Shield match against Victoria, McSweeney scored a hard-fought 60 runs off 199 balls against an attack that included Scott Boland. When asked after the day’s play if he saw the opening spot in the WTC final as a potential path back into the Test team, McSweeney acknowledged that he needs to focus on consistent run-scoring to regain his place.
“I’m not sure,” he stated. “All I can do is score runs and consistently perform, which is what earned me the opportunity initially. I am willing to bat wherever the team needs me. My focus now is to score runs and hopefully lead South Australia to the Shield final.”
McSweeney has another innings in the current match and will play in the final round of the season against Queensland. These matches, along with a potential final, are his only opportunities for game time before the WTC final, unless a county cricket opportunity in England arises.
Regarding playing county cricket, McSweeney said, “I would love to play county cricket, but for now, I’m staying in Adelaide. My focus is on the next few weeks with South Australia and hopefully reaching the Shield final. After that, I would be keen to play overseas and continue developing my game.”
McSweeney’s innings of 60 was a positive return to form after being dropped from the Test team in December. He aims to build on this performance and further refine his game, incorporating lessons learned from his Test experiences to become a more versatile and effective player.
He recognizes the need to balance his solid defensive technique, which is effective in Shield cricket, with developing more scoring options to succeed at the Test level.
“It’s a combination of both,” McSweeney explained. “I have a method that works for me in Shield cricket, but I’m always learning and trying to improve. My Test experiences have highlighted areas where I can adjust my game to become better. It’s important to remember what strengths got me here, but also evolve. The last few months have been challenging but ultimately beneficial for my development.”
McSweeney confirmed that Alex Carey is expected to rejoin South Australia for the Shield final if they qualify, but Travis Head will be unavailable due to his IPL commitments.
