Australia’s McSweeney ‘devastated’ by Test axing

MELBOURNE: Dumped opener Nathan McSweeney said he was “devastated” Saturday after being cast out of Australia´s team after just three Tests against India but vowed to come back a better player.

The 25-year-old won the race to replace the retired David Warner at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja but failed to seize the opportunity.

With a high score of just 39, McSweeney was axed from the hosts´ 15-man squad for the final two Tests of the series.

“Devastated. I get the dream come true and then didn´t quite work out the way I wanted,” he told Australia´s Channel Seven.

“It´s all part of it and I´ll get my head down and get back in the nets and work really hard, and hopefully be ready to go for my next opportunity.

“It´s the game we are in. If you don´t take your opportunity, and you are not performing as well as you want to, your position´s never safe.”

Teen sensation Sam Konstas was called up for the first time and is favourite to replace McSweeney when the five-Test series, which is locked at 1-1, resumes on Boxing Day in Melbourne.

Middle-order batsmen Josh Inglis and allrounder Beau Webster are also in the squad as other options.

Should 19-year-old Konstas play, he would become Australia´s youngest Test debutant since current skipper Pat Cummins took the field against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011.

Chief selector George Bailey acknowledged it was a “really hard decision” to dump McSweeney but said Australia needed to “throw something different” at India´s pace bowlers led by Jasprit Bumrah.