33 balls, 0 runs – Maddinson's record-breaking duck on Australia return

Opener Nic Maddinson makes the longest duck by a Test opener this century as Australia struggle on his return against South Africa. Maddinson was recalled after making a white-ball century for New South Wales at the start of the Australian domestic season For every Leicester City Premier League victory or Emma Raducanu run in New York, there are countless more examples of sport refusing to follow the fairytale script. On Friday morning in Durban, 34-year-old Australia batter Nic Maddinson became the latest to witness the stubbornness of the sporting gods. Maddinson's shock recall to Australia's Test side is notable for various reasons, most significantly because he only returned to cricket 12 months ago.

He was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his lung and lymph nodes, in April 2025. He missed most of last year to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. Even the most partisan of England fans would have wished him well. But Maddinson's return, almost 10 years after the last of his previous three Tests, was tortuous. He faced 33 balls and did not score a run, making his duck the longest by an Australian opener in Test history – the third-longest by any Test opener. Of the 33 balls he faced, the left-hander missed 13 and edged one – the attempted cut to Marco Jansen that crashed