Northants signing McSweeney pushes for Australia Test recall as he tames sorry Lions
Northants overseas signing Nathan McSweeney has put himself firmly in the frame for a possible Australia recall to play in the third Test of the ongoing Ashes series against England.
The 26-year-old has signed a season-long all-format contract with the County for the summer of 2026, and he is scheduled to join up with his new Wantage Road team-mates at the end of March.
And he could arrive in Northamption having regained his status as a Test batter.
McSweeney, who captains South Australia in his homeland, made his Test debut for Australia against India a year ago and played three matches before being dropped, having struggled to make his mark in his six innings, hitting a top score of 39.
But with the Ausses struggling to find a settled opening partnership thanks to veteran Usman Khawaja's injury issues, McSweeney threw out a serious reminder as to what he is capable of when he hit a career-best 226 not out as Australia A thrashed England Lions in Brisbane on Monday.
McSweeney skippered the Australia second string to their comprehensive innings and 127-run victory, hitting 27 fours and two sixes in a 394-ball stay against a Lions attack that included senior internationals Josh Hull, Shoaib Bashir and Matt Fisher.
McSweeney also hit 63 for the Prime Minster's XI against an England Lions attack speraheaded by Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue in Canberra the previous weekend, and he is enjoying a strong domestic season having already made seven scores of 50 or more.
That is all encouraging news ahead of his move to Northants, and could even see him get the chance to pile more Ashes misery on England in the coming weeks.
And if that opportunity does arise, McSweeney believes he will be better prepared to shine than he was 12 months ago.
"I think playing Test cricket obviously exposes a few opportunities to learn, and I'd definitely like to think I have learned from those experiences, and I can continue to try and grow my game," said McSweeney.
"I feel like I'm in a good spot at the moment. Obviously cricket is a game where we're probably never going to finish the puzzle, but I'm really content with how it's shaping.
"Hopefully I can continue to learn and score some runs."
Reflecting on his double ton against England Lions, McSweeney said: "Like most innings, I tried to start really well on day one and was able to build a bit of confidence on a wicket that was bouncing quite nice.
"Once I was out there, I was able to make sure I was scoring when they missed. I was thankful to spend a lot of time out there and pick some really good partnerships as well."
The third Ashes Test is due to start on Tuesday, March 16 in Adelaide.