A year ago, Nic Maddinson was battling testicular cancer. Now he’s in line for a Test recall

This time last year, only a handful of people knew Nic Maddinson had been fighting a private battle with testicular cancer.

On Thursday evening, the NSW Sheffield Shield captain’s phone rang. It was George Bailey. The blockbuster three-Test series against South Africa begins in Durban next Friday (October 9), and the chairman of selectors was looking for batting reinforcements after injuries to Cameron Green and Josh Inglis.

“We need you on a plane to South Africa,” Bailey said.

Big problem. Maddinson was in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, and his Baggy Green and passport were at his home in Byron Bay, an eight-hour drive away.

What followed was a frantic 24 hours.

Maddinson drove to Sydney Olympic Park late on Thursday night, where a security guard let him into the Cricket NSW building to retrieve his kit.

On Friday morning, Maddinson flew from Sydney to northern NSW to collect his prized Baggy Green cap, last worn against Pakistan in the 2016 Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

He scooped up his passport, threw some clothes into a suitcase and said goodbye to proud wife Bianca and young sons August and Wilder.

During Maddinson’s chemotherapy, August would sit beside his dad as he slept on the couch as the treatment hit him like a freight train. Now he might just get to watch his hero playing Test cricket for Australia again.

Maddinson flew straight back to Sydney late on Friday and is due to board a plane for South Africa on Saturday. Instead of potentially turning out for Eastern Suburbs in Sydney Premier Cricket this weekend, he will be with the Australian Test squad.

Maddinson, a Sydney Roosters fan, will miss Sunday’s NRL grand final as he embarks on what looms as one of Australian cricket’s most remarkable comeback stories.

Maddinson made a one-day cup century for NSW against Victoria to start the home season last Friday.

His last first-class appearance, however, was in March 2025, shortly before his diagnosis. He was dropped on form for the Blues’ final match of that season after making scores of four and zero against Western Australia.

In a tell-all interview with this masthead last October, Maddinson was asked about his chances of returning to cricket, let alone the international arena.

“I would still love to play Test cricket again, but I’m more realistic. The older you get, the less likely it is to happen,” he said. “The most important thing would be to say I am available. That would be a nice day.”

Maddinson was selected ahead of a number of Australia A players, including Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Peter Handscomb.

While Cooper Connolly is likely to sit ahead of Maddinson in the pecking order should Cameron Green succumb to his abdominal injury, there will be no shortage of support for the 34-year-old.

“Sam gives us wicketkeeping cover as Josh continues his recovery while Nic provides flexibility throughout the batting order,” Bailey said in a statement.

Australia were also monitoring Test opener Matt Renshaw after he suffered a blow to the wrist in the field, forcing him off for treatment.

Green’s absence would be a major blow to Australia’s hopes of winning in South Africa, particularly after he broke through for a first Test century on home soil against Bangladesh in Darwin in August.

Meanwhile, one-day skipper Mitch Marsh said that he was currently planning to fly home to Perth rather than joining the Test squad, but conceded that skipper Pat Cummins still saw him as part of the Test team’s plans should the need arise.

“If Pat says the door’s open then it’s open,” Marsh said. “I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough to retire from Test cricket.”

Asked how he would approach batting in Tests were he ever to play again, Marsh paused. “It’s a great question, I don’t really know,” he said. “I imagine it’ll be similar to my white-ball game if I was to get another crack at it.”

Marsh led the team despite Cummins’ return to the line-up for his first ODI in two years, in which he bowled five sharp overs during the Proteas’ unsuccessful chase.

“I see it as a bit of an open book really, Pat is the ODI skipper, his schedule is hectic as we all know,” Marsh said. “So today was a case of me finishing the series, Pat hasn’t played one-day cricket for a while, and he’s got a big couple of weeks coming up, so we share the role.

“We’ve got a great relationship, and even having him out there, we work so well together and it didn’t look like he hadn’t played an ODI for 700 days, so it was certainly nice to have him back.”

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