Australia's Nic Maddinson bags 33-ball duck on Test return: Details
What's the story
Australia's Nic Maddinson endured a disappointing return to Test cricket on Day 1 of the first Test against South Africa in Durban. The left-handed batsman was dismissed for a duck after facing 33 balls, marking his first appearance in the format in a decade. Maddinson's long innings ended when he attempted to cut Marco Jansen and ended up chopping on.
Unwanted achievement
Maddinson's disappointing return to Test cricket
Maddinson's dismissal came as a major blow for Australia, especially after Travis Head (9) was dismissed earlier.
The left-handed batsman has now entered the record books for the longest Test duck by an Australian opener in terms of balls faced, where balls faced data is available.
In the overall list of opener's, Maddinson's duck is the third-longest.
Notably, Maddinson last played a Test for Australia during the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan in 2016 and hasn't played First-Class cricket in over a year.
Comeback story
Cummins defends Maddinson at toss
Despite the criticism over his selection, Australia captain Pat Cummins defended the veteran batsman at the toss.
"I think he's really settled where his game is at. He's shown good form. No Australians have had a lot of cricket in the last six months, but I feel like he's really well-placed," said Cummins after opting to bat at Kingsmead.
Health struggle
Overcame testicular cancer in 2025
Maddinson's return is a remarkable story, as he underwent chemotherapy for testicular cancer just 18 months ago.
He was diagnosed in April 2025, with the disease spreading to his lungs and lymph nodes.
After completing chemotherapy in July 2025, he returned to cricket in September after getting the green light from his doctors eight weeks after his last treatment session.
Recent performance
Maddinson's return to cricket after recovery
Although he missed the early part of the 2025-26 Australian season, Maddinson made his return in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Sydney Thunder, playing five matches.
Recently, he scored 126 for New South Wales against Victoria in Australia's domestic one-day competition.
Notably, he hasn't played any First-Class cricket since March 2025.
He was recently appointed as captain of New South Wales for the 2026/27 Sheffield Shield season.
Information
Here are Maddinson's Test stats
Maddinson scored just 27 runs at 6.75 in his first three Tests before this game. In FC cricket, he now boasts 7,832 runs from 128 matches at 36-plus. He has tallied 18 tons and 36 fifties.