Australia have recalled Nic Maddison for the first time since the batter’s recovery from cancer.
Maddinson joined the touring squad for the first Test against South Africa alongside uncapped wicketkeeper Sam Harper following injury to Josh Inglis, ruled out with a finger problem, and has been selected to open with fellow left-hander Travis Head.
The 34-year-old was diagnosed with testicular cancer in April 2025, with it spreading to his lung and lymph nodes.
He completed a debilitating nine-week course of chemotherapy in July 2025 but resumed full cricket training in September after making a recovery, getting the all-clear eight weeks after his final final round of treatment.
"I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Cricket was the last thing I wanted to think about," he told the Sydney Morning Herald last year, reflecting on his treatment.
He missed the early stages of the 2025/26 season but eventually made a comeback, making five appearances in last term’s Big Bash League for the Sydney Thunder.
He most recently scored 126 against Victoria in Australia's domestic one-day competition, having been made New South Wales captain for the 2026/27 Sheffield Shield season.
Before the cancer diagnosis, he had averaged 52.37 over six years of domestic competition for Sheffield Shield and this was one of the reasons he received a call-up to the South Africa tour.
"From 2018 to 2024, he was one of the leading players in Shield cricket," Australia coach Andrew McDonald explained last week.
“Anyone that's been on the radar or there or thereabouts, they don't drop off automatically. We feel like he's got some good craft against spin and quality pace. He's been at this level before.”
Maddinson makes his return to the Australia Test fold for the first time in nine years, having previously played three Tests for his country in late 2016.
He took up his place in the XI the first game of the three-match series in Durban – though it was a difficult return, with the opener eventually chopping on for a 33-ball duck.
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