George Bailey says Nic Maddinson’s selection for Australia’s South Africa Test tour was about fit for the squad and expected conditions, not a dismissal of domestic cricket. The call-up has drawn questions because Maddinson reportedly had not played Sheffield Shield cricket since March 2025. Bailey’s explanation, as quoted in a same-day republication of The West Australian report, weighs role and conditions alongside recent Shield scores.
Why Maddinson’s selection raised questions
The West Australian published Josh Kempton’s report on 3 October 2026 at 10:37 AM under the headline “Australia selection chief George Bailey insists panel respects domestic cricket.” Its accessible page confirms the headline, byline and publication time, but gates the article text behind a subscriber sign-in. The selection details and quotations below are therefore attributed to a same-day republication, rather than presented as independently confirmed by the original page.
The reported point of contention is that Maddinson had not appeared in the Sheffield Shield since March 2025 when he was called up for Australia’s South Africa Test tour. The republication says the selectors considered his versatility across the batting order, his capacity to play spin and the conditions expected on tour, alongside the needs of a squad with “moving parts.”
Bailey’s case: select for the job as well as the scorecard
Bailey’s explanation, as quoted by the republication, was: “For the time and place that we are in right now, the conditions we’re about to face, and the moving parts that we’ve had, he’s just deemed the best fit.”
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That is a role-and-conditions argument, not a claim that recent domestic performance does not matter. It says the selectors assessed a player against the tour’s anticipated demands and the composition of the squad, rather than using the latest Shield run tally as the only criterion. The report does not establish a broader selection policy, nor does it independently measure Maddinson’s suitability for those conditions.
What the report says about Maddinson’s domestic record
The republication describes an uneven recent record alongside an earlier successful period in the Shield:
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- Maddinson played three Tests in late 2016, according to the report.
- After rebuilding his career with Victoria, he averaged 50.63 across 37 Sheffield Shield appearances there.
- Following his return to New South Wales in 2024, his reported average was 17.80 in the 2024/25 Shield season.
- The report says he did not play Shield cricket the following summer and had not appeared in the competition since March 2025.
These figures and career details come from the republication; they were not independently confirmed against official records for this article. Bailey reportedly also cited Maddinson’s history of injuries, versatility across the order and ability against spin as relevant considerations.
Bailey’s response to the charge of disrespecting State cricket
Bailey rejected the idea that Maddinson’s call-up showed disrespect for State cricket. The republication quotes him saying: “I don’t think you can view this one and say it’s disrespectful to State cricket because he hasn’t played last year.” He also cautioned against treating the selection as proof that players who were not chosen were less talented. The report therefore frames the issue as how selectors weighed competing needs, not as a ranking of every State player.
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Why Marsh was not in the immediate mix
The republication says Mitchell Marsh was discussed during selection but was unavailable because he was returning to Perth ahead of the birth of his second child. It reports that Marsh had scored 200 runs at a strike rate of 152.67 in Australia’s recently completed ODI series against South Africa; the figure is reported by that article, not independently checked against an official scorecard here. The same report says Test captain Pat Cummins had indicated the door remained open for Marsh to return to Test cricket. In this selection episode, however, the stated obstacle was Marsh’s personal availability, not a reported rejection on cricket grounds.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this selection does—and does not—show
Bailey’s defense offers a specific rationale: recent Shield scoring was one consideration, but Maddinson’s possible role, ability against spin, expected tour conditions and the squad’s needs also mattered. It does not prove that domestic form is unimportant, that another State player was judged inferior, or that selectors always apply a fixed role-first policy. Those broader conclusions go beyond what the reported explanation establishes.
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