Nic Maddinson faced 33 balls at Kingsmead and did not score a run off any of them. When the recalled opener finally chopped a good-length Marco Jansen delivery onto his own stumps in the 11th over of Australia’s first Test against South Africa in Durban, he had batted for 35 minutes, left Australia 24 for 2, and written his name into a record book he would rather have avoided: the longest duck by an opener in Test cricket this century.
It was Maddinson’s fourth Test cap and his first in nine years and ten months — his previous appearance came against Pakistan in December 2016. A 33-ball zero is the third-longest scoreless innings by an opener in the history of men’s Test cricket, behind New Zealand’s Darrin Murray (39 balls) and Zimbabwe’s Trevor Gripper (36).
Thirty-three balls, and one review that never came
Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat on a surface he described as having “a little bit of grass there”. Travis Head went first, for 9, with Australia 17 for 1. Maddinson, who had already survived a sustained working-over from Jansen and Anrich Nortje, then reached for a cut off a ball that was too full for the shot and deflected it into the stumps.
The innings came with an element of farce. South Africa had earlier declined to review an lbw appeal against Maddinson that ball-tracking showed to be three reds — out on all three counts. Temba Bavuma’s side then burned two reviews on unsuccessful appeals against Marnus Labuschagne and Matthew Renshaw. Maddinson could have been dismissed considerably earlier than he was.
The longest ducks by an opener in Test history now read:
- Darrin Murray (New Zealand) — 39 balls
- Trevor Gripper (Zimbabwe) — 36 balls
- Nic Maddinson (Australia) — 33 balls
Seven opening combinations and counting
Maddinson’s selection was the product of two injuries rather than a plan. Cameron Green was ruled out of the tour with a lower abdominal strain picked up while batting in the third ODI; Josh Inglis fractured a finger and was unavailable for the first Test. Maddinson, who was not in the original touring party, was flown in and then preferred to Cooper Connolly for the opener’s role.
Selector George Bailey pointed to the expected Durban turner and Maddinson’s versatility. “I don’t think there’s a long list of players that provide that flexibility who can genuinely say that they can do both of those roles,” he said. Coach Andrew McDonald noted Maddinson “can bat at the top, he can bat in the middle” and has “good craft against spin and quality pace”. Bailey also acknowledged the backstory: Maddinson was treated for testicular cancer in 2025, underwent chemotherapy and had not played a first-class match since March of that year. “He’s had some incredible bad luck,” Bailey said. “It just seems like the cricket world has conspired against him.”
The wider pattern is harder to defend. Australia have used seven different opening combinations since the start of 2025. Jake Weatherald, the most recent incumbent, averaged 21.9 across six Tests. Labuschagne is averaging 22.57 at number three over 12 Tests in the same period. Matthew Hayden’s verdict was blunt: “we are promoting the greatest pile of mediocrity that we’ve seen in a generation of cricket.”
Renshaw’s rescue papers over the cracks
Australia’s top five contributed 71 runs between them. Labuschagne made 37 before falling lbw to Wiaan Mulder, and Steve Smith — playing his first Test in South Africa in eight years, on Australia’s first Test tour there since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal — edged Jansen through slip for 25. Both went at 84, before Alex Carey and Beau Webster departed at 120 and 124.
From 124 for 6, Matthew Renshaw — batting at number five in the reshuffled order — made a career-best 190 not out as Australia reached 390 in 137 overs. It is the fourth-highest score by an Australian in a Test in South Africa. Cummins made 43 in a seventh-wicket stand worth 78, and Nathan Lyon ground out 27 from 92 balls. Mulder finished with 4 for 68 and Jansen 3 for 68, while Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer went wicketless from 21 combined overs on the pitch that justified Maddinson’s selection.
Josh Hazlewood removed Ryan Rickelton for a duck in South Africa’s reply before Bavuma’s side closed day two with Aiden Markram on 15 and David Bedingham on 12. Renshaw’s innings has bought Australia a position in this Test. It has not answered the question of who opens the next one.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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