Matthew Hayden has taken aim at Australia’s selectors over Nic Maddinson’s addition to the Test squad for the South Africa series. He told the All Over Bar The Cricket podcast that picking a batter with a mid-30s first-class average and an unproven recent record shows disrespect for the domestic game. Separately, former Australia player Greg Blewett said Mitchell Marsh was originally lined up for the spot. Both claims come from a single secondary report by Epiksport. No official squad statement or selector response was available alongside it.
What Hayden said about the selection
Hayden addressed selectors George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide by name. His central argument was about expectations. In his words: “And if we continue to lay that out and expect that a bloke averaging 35 is going to average 55 in Test match cricket, George Bailey and Tony Dodemaide, you are dreaming.”
He went further on the podcast, according to the report:
- “Where we are at is that we are promoting the greatest pile of mediocrity that we’ve seen in a generation of cricket.”
- “I will just put it that simply. You are frigging dreaming.”
- “You should be picking guys that are averaging 45 or more, and you can’t, because they don’t want to play.”
The report also has him calling the selectors’ explanation “dog s***” and accusing them of “disrespecting first class cricket.” These are Hayden’s opinions, not findings about how the selectors actually reasoned. His 45-plus benchmark is likewise his own view, and the report offers no analysis of it.
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The context: injuries and a thin pool
Epiksport says the squad was dealing with Josh Inglis’s finger injury and uncertainty over Cameron Green’s abdominal problem. That is the backdrop for Maddinson’s inclusion. The report does not include the selectors’ own explanation, so their reasoning remains unconfirmed here.
Maddinson’s numbers, as reported
| Item | Figure reported by Epiksport |
|---|---|
| First-class career average | 37.11 |
| 2016/17 home summer Tests | 27 runs at 6.75 in three Tests |
| Recent first-class cricket | None since early 2025, following a testicular cancer diagnosis |
| Hayden’s Test tally | 103 Tests |
These figures are the report’s own and have not been checked against a primary cricket statistics database. The page also showed no publication date, so any figures that depend on timing should be read with that in mind.
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The cancer diagnosis matters to the debate. Hayden’s argument concerns how little recent red-ball cricket Maddinson has played and what that says about the selection standard. It is not a comment on Maddinson’s health. The report presents the first-class absence as part of the criticism.
The “Plan A” claim: was Mitchell Marsh first choice?
Greg Blewett, a former Australia player and podcast co-host, said he had been told Marsh was due to replace Inglis before Maddinson was chosen. According to Blewett, Marsh went back to Western Australia because his second child was about to be born.
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That is the extent of the evidence. Nothing from Marsh, the selectors or Cricket Australia backs it up in the report. Treat it as Blewett’s secondhand account, not an established fact about the selection process.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is and isn’t established
- Established by the report: Hayden publicly criticized the call and named Bailey and Dodemaide.
- Attributed to Blewett only: Marsh was the intended replacement.
- Not established: any official selector rationale, the exact squad announcement date, or independently verified statistics.
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