Former England captain Michael Vaughan said he was sad for Nathan McSweeney, who was left out of Australia’s squad for the remaining two Tests against India, while acknowledging the reason behind the visitors’ decision. McSweeney opened in the first three Tests against India but made only 72 runs at an average of 14.40, despite not having previously opened in first-class cricket. McSweeney was passed over by Australian selectors on Friday to draft teenage opener Sam Constas. “I feel for Nathan, I think he will be back, but I completely understand why Australia made this move. I feel for this guy because all the people I have seen have come into Test cricket in the last 10 years. I don’t think anyone has been given a more difficult task.
“To face Bumrah in the conditions he had to face now, the pink ball under lights in the second game, in Perth he did everything, and in Brisbane the ball was moving. I thought they would pick McSweeney in Melbourne and if he failed again they would bring Sam (Constas) for his home test at the SCG.
“I don’t think it will be bad for McSweeney in the long run. I think he will end up being an Australian Test cricketer, but I don’t think he will be at the top of the order; I think it will be four or five points. If I were McSweeney, the next time I have the opportunity to pull on the baggy green, I’d want him to be in the position he’s played all his life,” Vaughan said. Fox Sports on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Constas was in the spotlight with two goals against South Australia in the first round of the Sheffield Shield. Those two centuries also earned him the honor of becoming the first teenager to achieve that feat in the Sheffield Shield since the legendary Ricky Ponting did so in 1993.
Constas was a member of the Australian team that won this year’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa and also scored a century for the Premier side against India in a pink-ball warning match at Manuka Oval in Canberra.
Speaking about how Constas would handle the challenge of Jasprit Bumrah, who never allowed McSweeney to settle at the crease, Vaughan said: “Bumrah has had a few Australian batters… but I think it’s very clear in Sam Constas that he is going to be the star of the future “
“I’ve never really believed in the question: ‘How much harm can you do to a 19-year-old?’ They are still young and all they ever think about is positivity, no baggage. It’s very interesting when you have a young child who clearly knows how to play, and the worst that can happen is he doesn’t get many runs. ? Well, it still happens!
“If he comes out and gets an innings against the quality of Bumrah, then you start talking about a serious high-class player. From a very young age he has scored hundreds and knows how to score hundreds.”
Vaughn signed off by saying Usman Khawaja is also under significant pressure to perform and that his partner for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, which starts on Thursday, should be a specialist opener.
“I really think Usman needs runs in the next two games; I don’t think he can get anywhere close to going to Sri Lanka and the West Indies if he doesn’t score in this series because ultimately you have to look to the future. They can’t go three from the middle order to the top order, they need to go with someone who opens the batting,” Vaughan said;
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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