McSweeney kicks down door as Australians swing open to shake themselves – Associated Press Australia

Pat Cummins has reported that it is possible that Marnus Labuschagne could start the first Test against India as Nathan McSweeney has been pushing for his Test debut.

McSweeney was the big winner of a great match on Sunday, scoring an unbeaten 88 to guide Australia A to a seven-wicket win over India A in Mackay.

After three days of setbacks and missed opportunities for the Mackay Test hopefuls, McSweeney looked perfectly at ease as Australia A chased down a fourth-innings target of 225.

Australia are expected to select their side for the first Test in Perth on Friday or Saturday, giving the contenders another opportunity for Australia A in Melbourne this week.

And for now, McSweeney is a man in uniform.

The 25-year-old has never made his debut in first-class cricket before and has averaged 97 this season, ranking third in South Australia.

But it’s possible his inexperience as a rookie won’t be an issue, with Cummins reporting that Labuschagne could open on Nov. 22 in a major shakeup.

“You could do it,” Cummins said.

“Maybe once we start discussing who’s out, then you’ll start looking at the batting order.

“Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) and I have talked about this quite a bit – where you hit it doesn’t really matter.

“You try to figure out how the overall batting order will work best. I don’t think anyone should be very careful in a certain place on this issue.”

Cummins also noted that he would have no problem inviting a debutant to start the big five-Test series against India.

“Whoever gets picked will make a lot of runs early in the year and be in a good position,” Cummins said.

“The reality is you try to debut as comfortably as you can… It’s not like they’re going to wake up one morning and suddenly know they’re playing.”

McSweeney’s runs came as part of a 141-run stand for the fourth wicket with Beau Webster (61), who is also in favor of a Test call-up.

Webster topped the Sheffield Shield scoring charts last season and could challenge Aaron Hardie as Mitch Marsh’s understudy this summer.

But the more pressing issue for Australia comes first, and McSweeney makes a compelling case.

While McSweeney top-scored in both innings in Mackay after scoring 39 in his first match, Sam Constas (0 and 16), Marcus Harris (17 and 36) and Cameron Bancroft (0 and 16) failed were able to make an impression.

In contrast, McSweeney has now scored scores of 55, 127, 37, 72, 36 and 88 at the start of the summer, as well as 137 against Queensland in a 50-over game last week.

He scored his 50 in the first over of Sunday morning, taking Nitish Kumar from his toes to the mid-wicket boundary.

The right-hander also pushed Sai Sudharsan three boundaries later after his soft hands meant an earlier edge from the leg-spinner did not lead to first slip.

Australia A’s victory came on a dramatic morning in Mackay, with the umpires accusing India A of scratching the ball and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan being cited for dissent.