Nic Maddinson, the left-handed batsman who recently joined Sydney Thunder for the Big Bash League (BBL), is contemplating a return to Test cricket, a goal that occupies his thoughts regularly. After an impressive finish to last season’s Sheffield Shield, where he struck three centuries in the second half of the campaign for Victoria, Maddinson has returned to New South Wales (NSW) with ambitions to once again don the Baggy Green.
Maddinson’s resurgence in form came after he missed the first part of the summer due to injury. Despite his early struggles, he emerged as one of the standout performers in a Shield season where runs were generally hard to come by. His performances have reignited discussions about a potential Test recall, something Maddinson hasn’t ruled out, as he continues to reflect on his international ambitions.
“Probably [think about it] most days to be fair,” Maddinson shared with ESPNcricinfo. “When you start coming into cricket, and we’ve been training outdoors with [Josh] Hazlewood and [Mitchell] Starc around, it’s hard not to think about the progression of your career. I love playing the game and want to help New South Wales win, but from a personal point of view, I still feel like I offer something at international cricket and would love to have that chance again.”
Maddinson’s previous stint in Test cricket came during the 2016-17 season when he played three matches against South Africa and Pakistan. However, he managed just 27 runs in four innings, a performance he feels does not reflect the player he has become today.
“Ten times better, maybe more,” Maddinson remarked on his current form compared to his early Test career. “I think I’m probably a much better player than I was even three or four years ago. Last season, Shield runs were hard to come by, and scoring the runs I did gave me a lot of confidence. Opening the batting was never really my strength, but I adapted and made significant progress.”
Despite his success in the longer format, Maddinson had a challenging BBL campaign with Melbourne Renegades, where he was dropped as captain after scoring just 48 runs in four innings. However, with a new opportunity at Sydney Thunder, Maddinson hopes to reignite his T20 career, acknowledging that his overall T20 record of averaging 20.30 from 134 innings is underwhelming.
“I’ve been pretty disappointed with my T20 performances since leaving Sydney Sixers in 2018,” Maddinson admitted. “Last season was tough because I hadn’t played much cricket after recovering from an ACL injury. Moving forward, it’s about finding a game plan that works, regardless of where I fit in the order.”
Joining Sydney Thunder also opens up the exciting possibility of Maddinson partnering with David Warner at the top of the order, a combination that could be pivotal for the Thunder’s BBL campaign. Maddinson recalls opening with Warner for the first time when he was just 16 in a 2nd XI game, and now, after more than a decade, the duo might reunite on the field.
“That top order with Warner, Cam Bancroft, Ollie Davies, and Sam Billings looks quite strong, and I hope to have a role in that,” Maddinson said.
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