SYDNEY (AP) — Nathan McSweeney is set to open the batting on debut for Australia against India in the first test of the Border-Gavaskar series in Perth this month after being named in a 13-man squad on Sunday.
The selectors played a wild card by also calling up England-born wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis who will captain Australia in the third one-day international against Pakistan on Sunday.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey previously ruled out Inglis as a candidate to open the batting but said his form was such he would be considered to play as a specialist batter in another.
That likely means McSweeney will open the batting with Usman Khawaja in the first test at Perth Stadium which starts on Nov. 22. He has been preferred in the opening role to Marcus Harris, Sam Konstas and Cam Bancroft.
“Nathan has displayed the attributes we believe will equip him well for test cricket along with a strong recent record in domestic cricket," Bailey said. “His performances for South Australia and Australia A weighed in his favor and supports our view he is ready for the opportunity at test level.
“Similarly, Josh has been in great touch in the Sheffield Shield and deserves his place in his first test squad.”
Inglis' call-up is still a surprise as Australia has seldom named an extra batter or additional specialist wicketkeeper in a test squad, preferring to carry an extra bowler.
McSweeney who captains South Australia, sealed his place with strong performances for Australia A against India A over the past two weeks. His innings of 39 and 88 not out in the first match of the A series saw him promoted to open in the second match, the first time he has opened the batting in his first-class career.
Inglis' promotion reflects his excellent form for West Australia in the Sheffield Shield this season. He has two centuries from two matches at Perth.
Incumbent wicketkeeper Alex Carey also has two centuries in the Sheffield Shield and is the leading run-scorer in the competition with 452. He made 98 in Australia's most recent test against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Scott Boland has been favored as the extra fast bowler behind captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
An injured hamstring for swing bowler Michael Neser during the India A game scuttled his hopes, despite an impressive spell that yielded four top-order wickets.
Australia: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Nathan McSweeney walks up the players race before batting in the cricket tour match between against India A at the MCG in Melbourne, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Republican Rep. David Valadao has won reelection in California’s 22nd Congressional District in the state's Central Valley farm belt, defeating Democrat Rudy Salas for the second time.
Valadao is an anomaly — an elected Republican in a heavily Democratic district in a heavily Democratic state. Democrats hold a 14-point registration edge in the district, but Valadao has kept a grip on the seat nonetheless. Valadao held the seat from 2013 until 2019, lost it for a term, then won it back in a 2020 rematch with Democrat T.J. Cox.
With control of the House on the line, Valadao's victory moved Republicans within two wins of retaining the gavel, with the tally 216-206 in favor of Republicans as counting continued in a sliver of races across the country.
Several toss-up races remained in play in California that could determine which party controls the House next year.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Ben Petersen said in a statement that Central Valley voters “picked a farmer who works with both parties to lower inflation, bring water to the Valley and defend their safety.”
In a region sometimes called America’s salad bowl for its vast agricultural production, Valadao stressed his efforts to secure more water for farmers and his willingness to work across the aisle, while painting Salas as a tax-and-spend Democrat. “David has ignored partisan bickering and demonstrated his commitment to local priorities,” his campaign said in a fundraising pitch.
Salas, considered a moderate, called Valadao a Trump follower posing as a centrist. He previously lost to Valadao in 2022.
Also Tuesday, The Associated Press called another California race, for Democrat George Whitesides, a former NASA chief of staff who had the support of national Democrats. He won a tough race to unseat Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th Congressional District.
Garcia conceded Monday, saying he had congratulated Whitesides and would ensure a smooth handoff. Whitesides said in a statement that he had spoken with Garcia and thanked him for his service to the district and the nation. He said he would fight in Congress for good jobs and lower household costs.
Whitesides, who is also a former CEO of Virgin Galactic, said during the campaign that he would use his business experience to solve problems. He spotlighted Garcia’s opposition to abortion rights, calling him an extremist.
The last Republican congressman anchored in heavily Democratic Los Angeles County, Garcia, a former Navy pilot who flew over 30 combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, had displayed a surprising ability to beat the odds in a district with an 11-point Democratic registration edge.
The once-conservative 27th District runs through suburbs and high desert north of Los Angeles. Garcia, a supporter of former President Donald Trump with a conservative voting record, first won election campaigning against California’s liberal-leaning government: “I don’t want my country to turn into what my state has become,” he said at the time.
California is known as a liberal protectorate — Democrats hold every statewide office, dominate the Legislature and congressional delegation and outnumber registered Republicans by a staggering 2-1 ratio. Still, Republicans retain pockets of political clout in the Southern California suburbs and vast rural stretches including the Central Valley.
In Southern California's 49th District, which straddles San Diego and Orange counties, Democratic Rep. Mike Levin beat back a challenge from Republican Matt Gunderson.
FILE - Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides watches as the company's carrier aircraft flies over Spaceport America near Upham, N.M., Aug. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
