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McSweeney “desperate” to return to Test cricket after Aus A double ton
Lachlan Geleit • December 12th, 2025 11:38 am
South Australia coach Ryan Harris says Nathan McSweeney is desperate to represent his nation at the Test level again.
The 26-year-old made his Test debut last summer against India, playing out of position as an opener for three Tests before being dropped for Sam Konstas.
Having had a taste of red-ball cricket at the top level, McSweeney is doing everything he can to put his name up for selection again, and he couldn’t have done much more in last week’s Australia A v England Lions clash in Brisbane with a huge knock of 226 not out.
It’s McSweeney’s second First Class ton in just over a month, and his state coach Harris expects the classy right-hander to be very close to selection should opportunities arise in the near future.
“He's been really good this year, he made a really good 100 in Perth. He’s threatened to make a lot more big scores and he probably got the one he deserved in Brisbane,” Harris said on SEN Breakfast.
“He's one now that's going to be very, very close to selection. There’s obviously some potential retirements coming in the Australian team over the next sort bit.
‘He’s had a taste of it, and he’s desperate to get back at some stage to wear that baggy green, and where that is in the batting order, I don't think he minds. He'd just like to play for Australia again.
“My words to him is, ‘Look, if that’s in the background, do your stuff for South Australia and when you get opportunities for Australia A, go and make the most of it,’ and he certainly did that in Brisbane.”
According to Harris, McSweeney was shattered to be dropped ahead of last year’s Boxing Day Test, and after that disappointment, it took him a while to find his best again at the Sheffield Shield level.
But with that pain now behind him, Harris says his hard work is paying off as he presses his case once more.
“I think it took a while. I remember talking to him not long after he was dropped and he was shattered, as you always are,” Harris explained.
“But I guess the positive to take out of it, which is the conversation I had with him, is he felt he was batting quite well. Very rarely do you get dropped from the Australian team as a batter when you're batting well. It's normally when you're not.
“Although he didn't obviously nail a big score, he had a good innings against Bumrah under lights at the Adelaide Oval where he got 40-odd, so he was batting well.
“He was definitely shattered about being left out of the team, it took a bit of a toll on the back end of last year.
“He probably didn't get the runs afterwards with the bit of extra pressure on him, but he’s taken some time away and over this pre-season he came back well.
“He's one of the hardest workers I know. I’ve played and worked with some pretty good players over my time and he’s got that element of his game to him.
“There's no doubt he'll be back in around it. He's going to be up and around the mark when opportunities arise.”
McSweeney next gears up for the BBL|15 season where he’ll continue playing for the Brisbane Heat.
