Bailey: Maddinson call-up is not disrespectful to first-class cricket

Maddinson's elevation to the squad, amid injuries to Josh Inglis and Cameron Green, ranks as one of the most surprising calls in recent Australian history. He did not play any Sheffield Shield cricket last season after undergoing successful treatment for testicular cancer in 2025 but is now in the mix to add to the three caps he earned in 2016.

It's understood that the initial reaction among some key figures in state cricket was one of shock and bemusement about how the selection has come about. Bailey admitted the first phone-call to Maddinson about the tour was the one to tell him late Thursday evening that he had been called up, and that he'd come into frame "not long ago". Maddinson then made a mad dash back to his Byron Bay home to collect his passport and baggy green ahead of flying out of Sydney on Saturday.

"Certainly, it's a pretty unique set of circumstances that he hasn't been playing first-class cricket," Bailey said. "Which I think, in itself, is a pretty cool story, and [it's] great to see him back playing, but [also] just in a place where he's really enjoying it. If you look across his last three or four years, he's had some incredible bad luck with an ACL [injury], a bad arm-break … so he's had periods where he's been firmly in our thoughts and conversations around some different teams at different times, but it just seems like the cricket world's conspired against him.

"I think his elevation this year to the New South Wales captaincy says a lot about the person and how highly he's regarded … he's a good player. That's not to say that others that haven't been picked aren't good players, but I don't think you can view this one and say it's disrespectful to state cricket because he hasn't played last year. I think it's not like a player who's sitting out because he said the wickets were green."

Bailey explained that the loss of Inglis for at least the first Test with a fractured finger had left the selectors looking for two players to fill his role as both a back-up batter and back-up keeper. Sam Harper's first call-up to a Test squad, which ordinarily would have been headline-grabbing itself, has filled the later requirement.

Meanwhile, increasing concerns over whether Green will recover from his abdominal injury in time for Durban added to the complications, while the scare for Matt Renshaw, who has subsequently been cleared of a wrist injury, led the selectors to wanting a batter who can cover multiple positions.

From December 2018 to March 2024, Maddinson averaged 52.37 in the Sheffield Shield. He endured a lean 2025-26 season after returning to his native NSW, averaging 17.80, although in the latter half of the campaign, he was feeling fatigued with what he thought was a virus before his cancer diagnosis. But despite only playing grade cricket, BBL and the One-Day Cup since last March, Bailey had no doubt he would up to the physical demands of Test cricket.

"Yeah, absolutely," he said. "That's what he's prepped for. [He] has been back at New South Wales this year, full-time, ready to go. So physically, mentally, [he's] well-placed."

Alongside the view that Maddinson can fill a variety of roles, Bailey also referenced him being a highly-regarded player of spin with the expectation that will play a key part in Durban - where Australia encountered a pitch in the first ODI that caused them problems - and potentially beyond. In all first-class cricket, Maddinson averages 47.97 against spin and 35.49 against pace.

"[Nic] is a strong player, a very strong player, of spin and [that's] not to dismiss work against quick bowling," Bailey said. "Probably from that one-day wicket and looking at their [South Africa's] squad a little bit, I think it's half an expectation that's probably what we're going to get hit with in Durban."

Maddinson's NSW team-mate Kurtis Patterson was another who the selectors considered while Bailey confirmed that, if Mitchell Marsh hadn't been returning home for the birth of his child, there would have been a serious conversation about his inclusion despite retiring from first-class earlier this year.

"I've said this to the group and a number of guys that didn't get picked, there's a dual purpose to that [tour]," Bailey said. "There's very much, for some, an eye to what potentially could be happening in January and February [against India] but for some there's also a journey of how difficult it is to play over there."

Even if Green is ruled out of the first Test, Maddinson would likely need another injury to force his way into the XI. Cooper Connolly, who was part of the original squad, is the frontrunner to take any vacant middle-order spot.

The odd nature of Green's abdominal injury, sustained in a three-ball spell against Corbin Bosch during the final ODI where he was stuck around the bladder by a full toss, hit a six and was then dismissed, has left Australia's medical team looking for other examples to assess likely recovery timelines.

"It's a unique enough injury that even our staff were saying, we're going to go look at some other cases to see if we can get some more information on functionality with it, how long it takes to be fully healed, [and the] difference between batting and bowling," Bailey said.

Green had been due to bowl for the first time on tour in Potchefstroom, having been restricted by a shoulder problem which Bailey revealed he had been carrying through the Test series against Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay. At that stage it hadn't stopped him bowling, although he only sent down 10 wicketless overs. Green spent Friday afternoon walking laps of JB Marks Oval and did not appear comfortable when he reached down to collect a ball.

Inglis, meanwhile, will have a further scan on his fractured finger in a week's time when a call will be made on whether he returns to the squad ahead of the second Test.

Maddinson may meet the team directly in Durban, when they relocate for the first Test on Monday, but there is a chance that Harper, who has already flown out of India, will make the trip to Potchefstroom where Australia play a two-day warm-up match against CSA Invitational XI over the weekend.

The match will be very much on the visitors' terms with an agreement they will bowl first, while Bailey confirmed that workloads for the bowlers would be carefully managed.