Ricky Ponting has picked 26-year-old Nathan McSweeney as Usman Khawaja’s opening partner in the Australian team for the upcoming five-Test series against India in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25) series.
With regular opener David Warner retiring at the start of the year and Steve Smith returning to his preferred position at No.4, there has been much speculation about who will get the first opportunity against the new ball when India visits for the crucial ICC World Test Championship series later this month.
Ponting had previously stated that the Australians would throw youthful opener Sam Konstas into the fray and give the Under 19 standout his debut against India, but the Australia icon has changed his mind.
As a result, Australia is looking for an opener for the blockbuster series, with experienced campaigners Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris competing alongside rookies Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas.
“I was put on the spot about a week ago, and I sort of immediately went to the young guy, Sam Konstas. He had come off back-to-back hundreds against South Australia. Then I thought a bit more about it and, he is so young and he has probably not even played on grounds like Optus (Perth) Stadium or at The Gabba,” Ricky Ponting said on the ‘ICC Review Show’.
The five-Test series between India and Australia begins in Perth from November 22 onwards. This will be the first time since the 1991-92 series that both sides are meeting in a five-match Test series.
Nathan McSweeney is the name left for me: Ricky Ponting
Further speaking ahead, the legendary Ricky Ponting revealed how McSweeney pips everyone on the back of his recent performances. Coming in at No.4, McSweeney anchored Australia’s ‘A’ innings with a solid 39, after fellow Test prospects Konstas (0), Marcus Harris (17), and Cameron Bancroft (0) all went cheaply.
In the ongoing Sheffield Shield tournament, McSweeney has scored 291 runs from four innings at an average of 97 with one hundred and two fifties to his name.
“The only name left for me more or less is Nathan McSweeney, who is Queensland-born now playing for South Australia. He got the most out of any of those guys from the ‘A’ game in Australia at the moment. And he’s more experienced. He has captained Australia A in the past, and he’s captaining them now. So, I’m leaning towards McSweeney now for that opening role at the start of the Australian summer,” Ricky Ponting added.
Overall, he has 2086 runs from 32 first-class matches so far at an average of 37.25 with six hundreds and 11 fifties.
Also Read: Special Quota For Fans Of India During Champions Trophy 2025 In Pakistan? PCB Chairman Promises