Maddinson's brave Test return ends in record 33-ball duck
Nic Maddinson waited almost 10 years and beat cancer to bat again for Australia. He lasted 33 balls for no runs.
The 34-year-old opener returned to the Test side in Durban against South Africa and was dismissed without scoring, a duck in cricket language. He tried to cut a short ball from Marco Jansen and dragged it back onto his own stumps. He swung and missed at 13 of those 33 deliveries BBC Sport.
The scorebook makes grim reading. It was the longest duck by an Australian opener in Test history, the five-day form of the game. It was also the third-longest by any opener in Test history.
Maddinson’s presence was itself a victory. He was diagnosed in April 2025 with testicular cancer that had spread to his lung and lymph nodes. He missed most of last year for surgery and chemotherapy before fighting his way back into contention.
His recall had come almost a decade after the last of his previous three Tests. Australia chose him ahead of young all-rounder Cooper Connolly to replace the injured Cameron Green for this three-match series Reuters.
Australia needed steadiness. They did not get it. The tourists slipped to 127-6 on the opening day in Durban as South Africa’s seamers kept striking.
Marnus Labuschagne made 37, the early top score. He fell leg-before-wicket, out for blocking a ball heading for the stumps, to Wiaan Mulder off the last ball before lunch. That extended his run to 44 Test innings without a century.
Australia also made an unusual piece of history with selection. All 11 players were aged over 30. It was the first time Australia had ever fielded an entirely over-30 XI in a Test.
There was a painful echo for Maddinson. He also made a duck on his Test debut against South Africa in Adelaide, a 12-ball effort as the third of three new caps in that match Cricket Australia. Then he was beaten for pace by Kagiso Rabada with the pink ball under lights in a day-night game.
What makes this stand out is not the numbers. It is the context. Most 33-ball ducks are footnotes. This one closed a long road back from serious illness to the toughest arena in the sport.
