Matthew Primer

Some cricketers arrive on the scene like fireworks. Others, like Nathan McAndrew, are more like that stubborn ember in the corner of the fireplace that simply refuses to die out. At 32, he is not young by Australian cricket standards. He is not old either. He is simply the guy who kept showing up. Oak Flat is a suburb near Wollongong where McAndrew learned his cricket. When New South Wales failed to notice him, he crossed the Tasman. Andre Adams, that wily Black Caps allrounder who became NSW bowling coach, made a phone call. 3 first-class games for Auckland in 2015-16. That was the taste. Just enough to know what he was missing. Back home, the Blues squad was packed with names that filled newspapers. McAndrew could not squeeze through. Most players at that point, start looking at coaching certificates or club cricket treasuries. McAndrew looked south. Jason Gillespie wanted bowlers who could do something special. South Australia had not won a Shield title in nearly three decades. McAndrew signed up for that. He made his Sheild debut at age of 28. What happened next makes no sense on paper. A discarded New South Welshman walks into Adelaide & becomes the reason a drought ends. His numbers sit there like a quiet argument: 48 wickets in 2023/24 season at 18.6 Avaerage & 39.5 strike rate. 40 wickets at 20.2 average & 40.5 strike rate in 2024/25. 38 this time at 23.4 average & 43.6 strike rate. He has taken 267 first-class wickets now at 25 apiece. Has scored over 2000 runs too with 24.6 average, batting at eight or nine, usually when the situation is rotten. This week against Victoria in the final, the situation was worse than rotten. South Australia were 122 for 7 in their second innings. The lead was 59 & trophy was slipping toward Melbourne. McAndrew walked in & added 105 runs with Alex Carey. 60 of them his own. Then he took the new ball & picked up 2 Victoria's top order wickets. Took another on today. South Australia won from nowhere. The Baggy Green is a conversation for another day. Australian selectors have their patterns, their favorites, their boxes to tick. McAndrew does not fit neatly into any of them. He is too old to be a project. Not so fancy or flamboyant. But here is the thing about embers that refuse to die. Sometimes they burn down the whole house.