When Nathan McSweeney goes to bed on Thursday night in his Perth hotel, there is every chance he will be thinking about what it would be like to score a century on Test debut at Perth Stadium against India.
As a 25-year-old who grew up living and breathing cricket, McSweeney would also appreciate how difficult it is for an opener to grind their way through the new ball and bring up triple figures in their first match with a baggy green.
No Australian opener has done it in McSweeney’s lifetime. Or in the 16 years before Australia’s newest Test cricketer was born.
Australia has produced some outstanding openers during that period – Taylor, Slater, Langer, Hayden, Katich and Warner all had stellar careers at the top of the order.
But none managed to pull off what is an opener’s holy grail – a Test hundred on debut.
The last 18 Australians to debut as a legitimate opener all failed to make triple figures in their maiden Test knocks.
Nathan McSweeney is preparing to make his Test debut in Perth.Credit: Getty Images
“My century is firmly in my memory because I talk about it every day,” said Wayne Phillips with a laugh when contacted.
Phillips, the South Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, was the last Australian opener to post a century on Test debut, doing so against Pakistan in 1983 in Perth.
Wayne Phillips waves his bat to the crowd after completing his maiden century in 1983.Credit: SMH
His 159 from 246 balls at the WACA came not long after a century in a practice match against a similar Pakistan attack. However, his knock wasn’t enough for man of the match, with Carl Rackemann taking the honours for his 11-wicket haul in Australia’s victory by an innings and nine runs.
“[After the practice match] Selectors thought, ‘oh well, he must be in a bit of form, let’s pop him in and see what he does’,” Phillips said. “I was very confident with my form at the time. I was chuffed.
“It was pretty daunting. You walk into that change room and there is Rod Marsh, Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee, who are genuine greats of the game. That was more daunting than going out to the middle.”
A sweep shot off leg-spinner Abdul Qadir helped Phillips bring up a memorable century that McSweeney will be looking to emulate this week on a ground just down the road in Perth.
Phillips was not aware he was the last Australian opener to make a century on Test debut but did guess the man who did it before him. It was his opening partner that day, Kepler Wessels, who plundered 162 a year earlier in 1982 against England in Brisbane.
Wessels and Phillips are the only two men alive to achieve the feat for Australia. Three other male Australian cricketers managed it: Charles Bannerman (165 not out in cricket’s first Test in 1877), Archie Jackson (164 in 1929) and Herbie Collins (104 in 1920). Collins’ ton was in his second Test innings.
The closest an opener has got to making a hundred on debut this century, in their first innings of the match, was Ed Cowan’s 68 against India in 2011 at the MCG.
From 1996 to 2011, Matthew Elliott (0), Mike Hussey (1), Phil Jacques (2), Chris Rogers (4), Phillip Hughes (0) and David Warner (3) were dismissed cheaply in their first Test innings.
The median score of Australia’s Test openers on debut during the past 50 years is 13.
The last Australian batsman in any position in the order to score a Test century in their maiden innings was Adam Voges in 2015 against the West Indies.
It reiterates that opening is the toughest job in cricket and McSweeney will have his work cut out considering he is not a specialist, having batting mostly at No.3 and No.4 in first-class cricket. Phillips says he wishes McSweeney all the best and will be watching Friday’s first Test on television in Adelaide.
“He doesn’t need to be getting 100 on debut,” Phillips said. “A good solid score would be fine. He’s in really good form. He knows his game and we’ve seen that here in Adelaide.
“I would expect that all the questions he gets asked by the India attack, he’ll be fairly confident that he has the right answers. Enjoy it.”
