Test discard Nathan McSweeney pockets six-figure pay rise

Nathan McSweeney is understandably devastated to have been axed for the Boxing Day Test, but the rookie opener will pocket a handy chunk of change after padding up at the Gabba.

A six-figure pay rise has softened the blow for Test discard Nathan McSweeney.

Though the South Australian captain is understandably devastated to have been axed for the Boxing Day Test – having averaged just 14.40 since being installed as opener at the start of the series against India – his appearance in the third Test at the Gabba meant he tipped over the threshold to trigger an automatic Cricket Australia contract upgrade.

To qualify for such an upgrade, players must accumulate 12 points in line with a system laid out in the memorandum of understanding between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association.

Each Test appearance is worth five points, with one-day and Twenty20 internationals both valued at two points.

A minimum retainer for a male centrally contracted Australian player is worth $346,641, according to sources familiar with the MOU.

Nathan McSweeney will receive a nice cash injection. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

While McSweeney would be one of South Australia’s highest-paid players, it’s believed he would likely have been on less than $200,000 with SA.

The upgrade means he receives the difference between his state and CA deals, almost certainly $150,000 if not more.

His match fees from across the first three Tests also combine to be just short of $60,000, while McSweeney is paid separately for his Big Bash League deal with the Brisbane Heat.

White-ball specialists Marcus Stoinis, Tim David and Jake Fraser-McGurk have also triggered upgrades having played across Australia’s series with Scotland, England and Pakistan already this contract year.

National selection chair George Bailey remained positive about McSweeney’s prospects of an international return down the track.

Although former Test quick Mitchell Johnson wrote in his column with The West Australian that McSweeney had not been given the best chance to succeed.

“Nathan McSweeney won’t be a part of Australian cricket’s biggest day and the decision to dump him for the Boxing Day Test was not only harsh, but it looks like he was set up to fail,” Johnson wrote.

“McSweeney was put in a very difficult position, having to open in a high-pressure series against a top-notch attack, facing one of the best fast bowlers in the world in Jasprit Bumrah.

“Bumrah has proven a challenge for most of Australia’s experienced top six, boasting years of experience in international cricket, so to ask a debutant to take on a new role at the top of the order seemed unfair.”

Originally published as Test discard Nathan McSweeney pockets six-figure pay rise