Determined Neser grateful for another last-minute chance

Michael Neser is happy to be Australian cricket's last-minute man – just as long as he isn't the forgotten man. 

In uncannily similar circumstances to last summer's Adelaide Test, Neser only found out he was playing in this year's day-night match after Josh Hazlewood's late scratching due to a side strain.

It was more notice than he got 12 months ago when Pat Cummins was ruled out on the morning of the Adelaide Test as a Covid-19 close contact, meaning Neser was hastily inked onto the team sheet and presented his Baggy Green cap by kindred spirit Glenn McGrath.

Fellow inclusion Jhye Richardson stole the show in that Test with a match-winning five-wicket haul and, by the end of the summer, Neser had also been overtaken by Scott Boland in the pecking order.

"I won't lie, it did play on my mind a bit," the 32-year-old told cricket.com.au after snaring two wickets before stumps in his recall, leaving West Indies 4-102 at the end of day two trailing by 409.

"But I can't control how it happened – Scott played fantastically during that series, so it's a was a no brainer he was going to play the rest of that series.

"But for myself, I just thought I'd keep trying to do well in (Sheffield) Shield cricket and felt pretty good to keep pushing my case. I'm just fortunate, and grateful, that I've been given another chance.

"I'm in a good headspace now with my cricket. I'm just happy to be playing. Everything's out of my control earlier with selection. So as long as I'm performing, that's all I can do."

Neser may have been an eleventh-hour call-up, but he proved Australia's most dangerous weapon under lights on Friday.

The right-armer was a constant threat to the Windies top-order, nipping the ball each way and finding the outside edges of first Test century-marker Kraigg Brathwaite and first-drop Sharmarh Brooks.

He was inches away from a third wicket from the first ball of his second spell when Devon Thomas' edged prod fell just short of David Warner at first slip.

"I definitely got more sleep this time around," Neser said, comparing this Adelaide Test with last year's. "But definitely, I felt a bit more at ease at the crease. Nerves weren't as quite as bad as last time.

"There was a lot of emotions out there for me. To get that wicket was a bit of relief.

"I was out there for a while and to be back playing was kind of like déjà vu with what happened last time. The circumstances are similar. To be back out there playing is just great really."

It has taken immense determination for Neser to show he can be more than a one-Test wonder.

A side strain suffered at the back-end of the summer, which he put down to a loss of 'bowling fitness' having carried the drinks for all but one of last summer's Ashes Tests, ruled him out of the tour of Pakistan.

Then overlooked for the ensuing Test campaign in Sri Lanka, Neser was instead told by national selectors to remain in the United Kingdom for his county stint with Glamorgan where they see him as a strong chance of featuring on next year's Ashes tour.

His 37 County Championship wickets at 25.16 highlighted his skills in those conditions, while his display on Friday evening further underlined just how dangerous he is when the ball is moving.

"I'm surprised it's just his second Test match," Windies great Brian Lara told Fox Cricket.

The resolve required by Neser was no better underlined than Justin Langer's suggestion he would have played more Tests had he been born in a different era, likening the current situation for Australian fast bowlers to the one faced by leading domestic batters through the glory years of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

"For many years you'll remember in Australian cricket we used to talk about a lot of the batsmen who didn't get an opportunity," coach Justin Langer, a noted fan of Neser during his tenure as Australia coach, told Channel 7.

"The Stuart Laws and the Martin Loves and the Brad Hodges who just didn't get a chance, who could have played more international cricket.

"Here with Scott Boland and Michael Neser, we see the same thing. They could have played so much more international cricket.

"But because they just happened to be in this era with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, it's made it very difficult for a permanent position."

But Neser is doing his best to make the case.

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 164 runs

Dec 8-12: Second Test, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

West Indies squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Marquino Mindley, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas

Buy #AUSvWI Test tickets here