NIC Maddinson came back to cricket at Drummoyne Oval but there’s still no timeline for his Sheffield Shield return.
The star batsman, who has taken an indefinite break from the game due to personal reasons, was set to train in the nets with the non-Shield playing members of the NSW squad, only for a downpour in Sydney to rain out the session.
There is no certainty Maddinson will play for the Blues again this Shield season, but the sight of him back in the fold – albeit watching the rain drops fall – was an encouraging one.
Maddinson voluntarily put his hand up two weeks ago and told Blues officials that he needed a break, after a roller coaster summer that had him called up as a surprise Test debutant before being dropped three matches later, mentally took its toll.
There is no plan in place at this stage for the 25-year-old to return to the field, but there’s every chance that if he does make a comeback this season, he may struggle to walk straight back into the Shield side and may have to look at avenues like grade or second XI cricket.
NSW have made totals of 523 and 6(dec)-603 in their past two matches, with replacement Nick Larkin making 86 against Queensland and Ed Cowan a double century against Victoria at No.3.
Teammates have rallied around Maddinson, with Cowan predicting the left-handed entertainer will one day fight his way back to the Test arena.
Maddinson was placed under the public microscope as the left-field debutant who failed to take his opportunity at a time of enormous transition for the Australian team, and he subsequently struggled to perform to his usual ability in the Big Bash.
Originally published as Test discard’s return to cricket delayed
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