Maddinson and Harper Called Up: The 2 Injuries That Decide Who Plays in Durban

Nic Maddinson and Sam Harper have been added to Australia’s Test squad for the three-match series in South Africa. Maddinson comes in as a back-up batter and Harper as the reserve wicketkeeper.

The moves follow confirmation that Josh Inglis will miss the first Test in Durban with a fractured right finger. Cameron Green’s abdominal strain, confirmed by scans on Thursday, has added a second worry. Selection chief George Bailey explained both picks.

“Sam gives us wicketkeeping cover as Josh continues his recovery while Nic provides flexibility throughout the batting order.”

George Bailey, Australia’s selection chief, squad announcement, 1 October 2026

 

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Inglis’s finger makes Harper the reserve keeper behind Carey. Green’s fitness decides whether Maddinson or Cooper Connolly comes into the frame.

Maddinson’s call-up comes a year after cancer treatment. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March 2025, and it had spread to his abdominal lymph nodes and lungs. Nine weeks of chemotherapy ended in July 2025, and he played no first-class cricket last summer.

The 34-year-old made 126 off 127 balls against Victoria on 25 September, his first one-day hundred in nine years. His Test career began against South Africa in Adelaide in November 2016 and ended three Tests later, with 27 runs at 6.75.

Harper, 29, earned the call with 128 for Australia A against India A in Puducherry this week, his third first-class hundred of 2026. He walked in at 5-104 and helped lift the total to 358. He has filled this role before, shadowing Alex Carey for part of the 2023 Ashes.

Insider Read

Going on tour as cover is the strangest job in cricket. You sweat in the nets like a starter, but you have no idea whether you will play in eight days, because that answer sits in another man’s scan. You cannot hold anything back, and you cannot let yourself believe you are playing either.

That is why the 3-4 October warm-up in Potchefstroom matters more than any net session. It is the only real audition before Durban, the only time selectors see you in a match. For Harper, any time with the gloves there is the only match keeping on offer before the Tests.

When Australia Decides: Warm-Up and Test Dates

Australia is hopeful Green will be fit for Durban. If he is not, the warm-up is where the case for his replacement gets made.

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