Coach confident McSweeney could handle Test role

Ryan Harris, the South Australia coach and former Test spearhead who has overseen Nathan McSweeney's rise to state captaincy, believes the in-form batter would adapt quickly to international cricket if given an opportunity.

McSweeney's name has increasingly entered discussions about the make-up of Australia's Test team for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy Series against India.

That's despite the only immediate vacancy in the starting XI being for an opening batter, a role McSweeney has never filled in his six-year first-class career to date.

But as both he and Harris have pointed out, the 25-year-old's elevation to SA's permanent number three last summer has meant he's found himself in the middle against a near-new ball more often than not.

In the 14 innings he's played since replacing Daniel Drew as SA's first-drop a year ago, on eight occasions McSweeney's gone to the wicket with less than 10 runs on the board.

During that period the right-hander has scored almost 600 runs at an average of 45.92 (including two centuries and four 50s) with his recent Sheffield Shield returns of 55, 127no, 37 and 72 underscoring his status as one of the nation's in-form top-order batters.

He was also named as skipper of the Australia A outfit for the two-game series against India A that began in Mackay today, leading a team that includes fellow Test opening aspirants Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and uncapped Sam Konstas.

While McSweeney's numbers suggest he can rightly be mentioned alongside those specialists (as well as Matthew Renshaw) for the role as Usman Khawaja's partner at the top of the Test order, his coach cites temperament as another element in his favour.

"I had a good chat with him the other day before he left (for Mackay), just about the whole hype around it," Ryan Harris said today.

"What he's done over the last two or three years has been unreal, even with the (SA) captaincy this year he's taken it to another level.

"So I just spoke to him about taking it all in but don't let it all get to you, just be the same Nathan and be level and he's really good at doing that.

"He's just a cool, calm collected sort of character anyway.

"He reads the game really well, he understands his game really well, he's just got a lot of really good positives that you need and ingredients that you need to play at that level.

"We'll see what happens up in Mackay and next (Australia A) game but if the question is 'is he ready to play', I think he is.

"His technique has got better and better over the last two or three if not four years, so I definitely think he can handle it."

As a bowling all-rounder who evolved into an opening bowler for his 27-Test career, Harris doesn't believe he's overly qualified to analyse McSweeney's technical suitability for an elevation to opening alongside a step up to Test level.

However, as a former national under-19 coach who then took over the pathways program at Queensland (where McSweeney began his career) before making the move back to Adelaide last year, Harris is keenly aware of his skipper's evolution.

And he believes McSweeney could potentially adapt to a promotion to the top of the order more readily than Steve Smith was able to make the transition from number four to opener last summer, by dint of the SA skipper's recent experiences.

"I'm not a batter, I just see it as a no-brainer," Harris said.

"I think if you ask most guys that bat three … batting three and opening is not too different because you can be in after the first ball of the game anyway.

"And he (McSweeney) has done it a lot now.

"Four's a little bit different as we've seen with Steve Smith, but I think three's pretty similar.

"If he (McSweeney) was to get the opportunity there's no doubt he would be nervous and excited, but I think he can handle it really, really well."

The immediate challenge for Harris's team is how readily they handle the loss of McSweeney and a host of other first-choice players thereby ensuring they field a vastly re-cast XI in the Sheffield Shield match against Victoria starting at Adelaide Oval tomorrow.

Test keeper Alex Carey will captain SA in McSweeney's absence, with pace bowlers Nathan McAndrew, Jordan Buckingham and Brendan Doggett also missing through Australia A duties while Travis Head (paternity leave) and Wes Agar (injury) unavailable.

In addition, Jake Fraser-McGurk could not be considered due to his inclusion in Australia's ODI squad for next week's three-match series against Pakistan and fast bowler Spencer Johnson continues to build his red-ball bowling loads after suffering a side strain.

SA are expected to call up experienced white-ball quick Henry Thornton for his Shield debut, as well as recalling fellow seamer Harry Conway, spinner Lloyd Pope and batters Thomas Kelly and Jason Sangha who might earn his first baggy red cap after transferring from New South Wales this year.

SA squad: Alex Carey (c), Harry Conway, Daniel Drew, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Conor McInerney, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton

Ins: Henry Thornton, Harry Conway, Lloyd Pope, Thomas Kelly, Jason Sangha. Outs: Nathan McSweeney, Nathan McAndrew, Jordan Buckingham, Brendan Doggett (Australia A), Travis Head (paternity leave), Wes Agar (injury)

Victoria – who have not lost a Sheffield Shield match against SA since 2015 - will also be minus a clutch of stars with Marcus Harris, Scott Boland, Todd Murphy and Fergus O'Neill all in the Australia A squad while Glenn Maxwell and Matt Short have been selected for the ODIs.

They have recalled 39-year-old ex-Test quick Peter Siddle to their 13-man squad along with fellow seamers Cam McClure and Mitch Perry, spinner Doug Warren and uncapped batter Dylan Brasher.

Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (c), Dylan Brasher, Ash Chandrasinghe, Sam Elliot, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Cam McClure, Jon Merlo, Mitch Perry, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Doug Warren

Ins: Dylan Brasher, Peter Siddle, Cam McClure, Mitch Perry, Doug Warren, Mitch Perry. Outs: Marcus Harris, Scott Boland, Todd Murphy, Fergus O'Neill (Australia A) Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short (ODI squad)

Reigning Shield holders Western Australia have been perhaps hardest hit by the schedule overlap, making seven changes to its previous Shield squad for the return match against Tasmania in Hobart.

Missing will be Bancroft, Cooper Connolly and Corey Rocchiccioli (Australia A) as well as Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis (ODI squad) while Test all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (paternity leave) was unavailable and Charlie Stobo has been omitted.

Western Australia squad: Sam Whiteman (c), Ashton Agar, Mahli Beardman, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Joel Paris, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Matt Kelly, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Teague Wyllie

Ins: Mahli Beardman, Teague Wyllie, Sam Fanning, Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner, Joel Paris. Outs: Cameron Bancroft, Cooper Connolly, Corey Rocchiccioli (Australia A), Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis (ODI squad), Mitchell Marsh (paternity leave), Charlie Stobo

Promising pace bowler Mahli Beardman is in line for a Shield debut after being part of Australia's white-ball touring party to the UK early this year, with highly regarded youngsters Teague Wyllie and Sam Fanning also returning to the WA squad along with veterans Ashton Agar, Ashton Turner and Joel Paris.

Joel Curtis will take the keeping gloves in Inglis's absence.

Following their six-wicket defeat at the WACA Ground last week, Tasmania will be without star all-rounder Beau Webster (Australia A) but welcome back seamers Gabe Bell and Lawrence Neil-Smith after they were rested for the game in Perth.

Tasmania squad: Jordan Silk (c), Gabe Bell, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Mitch Owen, Charlie Wakim, Jake Weatherald

Ins: Gabe Bell, Lawrence Neil-Smith. Outs: Beau Webster (Australia A), Will Prestwidge

New South Wales have also made seven changes to the squad that succumbed to Victoria at the MCG, but regained Test quick Josh Hazlewood for tomorrow's match against Queensland as he steps up preparation for the NRMA Insurance Test series.

He replaces Mitchell Starc who, along with Sean Abbott and Steve Smith, is in the ODI squad while Konstas and keeper Josh Philippe are on Australia A duty with Test spinner Nathan Lyon and pace bowler Jack Nisbet also sitting out the game at Cricket Central.

NSW squad: Moises Henriques (c), Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Josh Hazlewood, Nic Maddinson, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Tanveer Sangha 

Ins: Josh Hazlewood, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson. Outs: Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Steve Smith (ODI squad) Sam Konstas, Josh Philippe (Australia A), Nathan Lyon, Jack Nisbet

Ex-Test batter Kurtis Patterson returns to the Blues squad, as does Blake Nikitaras, keeper Matthew Gilkes, all-rounders Jack Edwards and Chris Green and seamer Ryan Hadley.

Queensland have been forced to dig deep into their playing resources having lost Michael Neser (Australia A) and Marnus Labuschagne (ODIs) as well as injured quartet Mark Steketee (ankle), Gurinder Sandhu (calf), Callum Vidler (groin) and Jem Ryan (hamstring).

Queensland squad: Mitchell Swepson (c), Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Liam Guthrie, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Jack Sinfield, Tom Straker, Jack Wildermuth

Ins: Beni Floros, Jack Sinfield, Angus Lovell, Jack Wildermuth, Tom Straker. Outs: Michael Neser (Australia A) Marnus Labuschagne (ODI squad) Mark Steketee (ankle), Gurinder Sandhu (calf), Callum Vidler (groin) Jem Ryan (hamstring).

The Bulls have called up former Australia indoor cricket representative Beni Floros (whose older brother Jason played for Queensland from 2010-17) who could make his Shield debut, with Jack Sinfield, Angus Lovell, Jack Wildermuth and Tom Straker also included in the 13-man squad.

With Labuschagne on international duties, Test-capped leg spinner Mitchell Swepson will captain the Bulls.