New Delhi, Feb 5 (IANS) Former Australia cricketer and South Australia coach Ryan Harris has voiced his frustration over how Nathan McSweeney was handled by selectors during the recent home Test summer, believing the young batter was unfairly judged after being thrown into the deep end against India’s world-class attack.
The 25-year-old was handed a shock Test debut as a makeshift opener, partnering Usman Khawaja against Jasprit Bumrah and India’s fiery pace battery on difficult Australian pitches. Typically a No.3 batter for South Australia, McSweeney struggled to adapt to the unfamiliar role, managing just 72 runs at an average of 14.40 across six innings before being dropped in favor of Sam Konstas for the Boxing Day Test.
Harris, who has worked closely with McSweeney at the state level, believes the young batter was put in an impossible position and deserved a longer run in the Test side.
“There’s no doubt I just thought he was a bit harshly dealt with,” Harris told SEN Sportsday. “He came in at a really tough time of the series, playing against Bumrah, who is the best bowler in the world in my view. He had to come in and face that at the top.”
While McSweeney had been thrilled to receive his Test debut, Harris revealed that the abrupt nature of his axing left the young batter shattered. “To get the opportunity, he was absolutely delighted, but then on the other end of the scale in such a short time, he was absolutely shattered,” Harris said.
“I’ve never seen Nathan McSweeney like that, he was just so down and disappointed. When you asked him about how he felt, he said, ‘I felt as though I was batting really well, he (Bumrah) was just too good for me.’”
Despite the disappointment, Harris encouraged McSweeney to focus on the positives, particularly his belief in his own form even while struggling for runs.
“The positive I took out of it, and I said to him straight away, was: ‘Well, there’s not many times when you get dropped and you actually feel like you’re batting well,’” Harris added.
Although McSweeney was dropped mid-series, Harris remains confident that the talented right-hander will force his way back into the Test side.
“He was shattered, but look, will he come again? Of course, he will,” Harris said.
His immediate future with the Test squad remains uncertain, but his inclusion in the Sri Lanka tour signals that he is still in the selectors’ long-term plans. With Marnus Labuschagne firmly entrenched at No.3, McSweeney is unlikely to feature in the second Test unless an unexpected injury occurs.
“It’s great to see him on that tour of Sri Lanka. I obviously don’t see him playing in that second Test unless there’s something that happens with Marnus, which I doubt will happen,” Harris noted.
Harris admitted he was initially frustrated by Konstas’ selection for the Boxing Day Test, feeling McSweeney should have been given more time to settle. However, he also acknowledged that Konstas’ stunning debut performance proved the selectors right.
“There was no doubt that there was probably a little bit of frustration that Konstas got picked in my mind right at that time (for Boxing Day), but what that kid showed and what he did on that stage was just phenomenal,” Harris admitted.
–IANS
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