'Pile of mediocrity': Maddinson's 10-year wait for Aussie Test re-call clouded by on-air rant

Nowra-born cricketer Nic Maddinson has had his international career sensationally plucked from the grave, but not without drawing in criticism from an Australian Test great.

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Australia's Nathan Lyon and Nic Maddinson (L-R) at Manuka Oval in 2018. Photo by Jamila Toderas

The 34-year-old was spotlighted mid-scathing review directed by Matthew Hayden towards Australian selectors for "disrespecting first class cricket."

Hayden, whose career covered Australia's "golden era" of Test cricket and continued domestically until retiring in 2012, labelled Maddinson's call-up as a promotion of "the greatest pile of mediocrity" he'd witnessed "in a generation of cricket."

The scathing rant didn't end there.

Hayden addressed selectors George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide and questioned how they'd landed on a guy whose last Test appearance was Boxing Day 2016 against Pakistan.

NSW Blues Training session at North Dalton park shows Nic Maddinson in 2018. Picture by Sylvia Liber

If selected in the 11-man order, more than eight years would have passed between Maddinson's international outings; the last being a T20I against Zimbabwe in 2018.

"You are frigging dreaming," Hayden said on-air of a podcast episode for All Over Bar the Cricket.

Maddinson's return to South Africa this weekend with the Australian side comes one month shy of a decade since making his debut in 2016 against, ironically, South Africa.

Bailey called him last week with the proposition, and while the dream of a Test return had always lingered, it had come as a complete shock.

"I was a little bit unsure what was going on," Maddinson said. "[I] had hopes of maybe one day getting back into a Test squad.

"So in terms of motivation and stuff like that, it's still always been there but, yeah, definitely a bit of a surprise."

Hopes of a recall were seemingly quashed in early 2025 following the diagnosis of testicular cancer

Despite being surgically removed, subsequent scans revealed the cancer had metastasised to his abdominal lymph nodes and lung, leaving Maddinson to require a nine-week round of chemotherapy.

He was cleared by doctors in October 2025 and promptly signed with the Sydney Thunder for the 2025-26 Big Bash season.

The heavily scrutinised decision to give Maddinson a seat on the plane to South Africa can only be defended by Australia's growing injury cloud which includes Josh Inglis (finger) and Cameron Green (abdominal).

Nic Maddinson of New South Wales bats during the One-Day Cup cricket match between Victoria and New South Wales. Picture by AAP

Victorian wicketkeeper Sam Harper was another late call-up for the Australians, the 29-year-old having caught selectors' eyes thanks to 667 runs for Victoria in the most recent Sheffield Shield season.

Maddinson's defining moment is understood to be a 126 for NSW against Victoria in a one-day cup match in late September, though that in itself was questioned as enough to earn selection.

Former Australian fast bowler and South Australia coach Ryan Harris highlighted Sam Konstas, Josh Philippe, Nathan McSweeney, Peter Handscomb and Jason Sangha as notable omissions.

"Nothing against Nic, he's a good player ... to see them go down that direction was a little bit disappointing," Harris told Fox Sports.

"It's definitely a call from outside the box."

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