Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, has shown his support for Australia’s Nathan McSweeney after a tough beginning to his international cricket career. McSweeney, who debuted in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, was left out of the squad for the Melbourne and Sydney Tests after struggling to make a mark at the top of the batting order.

His performance in the first three Tests wasn’t great, with scores of 10, 0, 39, 10 not out, 9, and 4 across six innings. Vaughan pointed out that McSweeney has had one of the roughest starts in Test cricket, especially with the challenge of facing Jasprit Bumrah, one of the best fast bowlers in the world, along with other Indian bowlers.

"I look at McSweeney and think there’s probably no one who’s had a tougher start to their career. I really feel for him because, in the last decade, I haven’t seen anyone face such a difficult challenge coming into Test cricket," Vaughan shared with Fox Sports.

Bumrah got McSweeney out four times during the series, showing he was just too tough for the young batter in those tricky conditions.

"Facing Bumrah in these conditions, especially with the pink ball under the lights in his second match, was no easy task. In Perth, the ball was doing all kinds of things, and in Brisbane, it was moving all over the place," he said.

Finding the Hidden Blessing

McSweeney's removal is a bummer, but Vaughan thinks it might actually be a hidden opportunity for the batter's career. He feels that McSweeney, who isn't really cut out for the opening spot, could do really well in the middle order down the line.

"I don't see this as a bad move for McSweeney in the long run. I believe he has the potential to become an Australian Test cricketer, but I see him batting at four or five rather than at the top," Vaughan shared.

Vaughan also touched on the pressure facing senior opener Usman Khawaja, who hasn't been performing well in the series.

"I really think Usman needs to score some runs in the next couple of games. If he doesn't, I can't see him being a guaranteed pick for the tours to Sri Lanka and the West Indies, because we have to start thinking about the future," Vaughan added.

Read Also: "I can't help but chuckle at comparisons between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam," said the former Pakistan star.

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