Australia’s Nic Maddinson made an emotional return to Test cricket on October 9 after recovering from testicular cancer, though his first innings in almost a decade ended in a duck. The 34-year-old replaced the injured Cameron Green for the first Test against South Africa at Kingsmead.

Captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat on a hot, humid day. Maddinson’s selection ahead of all-rounder Cooper Connolly marked a fairytale comeback nearly ten years after his last Test cap. South Africa recalled fast bowler Anrich Nortje for his first first-class match in almost four years, while Kagiso Rabada was left out to continue his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Australia’s only change from their win over Bangladesh in August was Maddinson’s inclusion. Cummins said Maddinson was settled in his game after the fairytale return. South Africa named two spinners and went with pace, as captain Temba Bavuma said his side would have liked to bat first.