Neser thought his Test career was over 12 months ago… now he’s an Ashes hero

Twelve months ago, Michael Neser thought his Test career was over.

The Queenslander, whose most recent Test appearance came back in 2022, was close to earning selection for last summer’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy before he suffered a long-term hamstring injury during an Australia A match against India A at the MCG, spending two months on the sidelines.

It came a few months after he had been dumped from Cricket Australia’s central contract list, with the likes of Brendan Doggett and Sean Abbott leapfrogging him in the pecking order.

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“To be honest, after the last season, when I thought I was bowling superbly and I had my chance and I did my hammy really badly, I thought, ‘Bugger, that could’ve been my chance,’” Neser told reporters at the Gabba on Saturday evening.

“It was a long recovery. I think it was 12 weeks out of it.”

After returning from the setback towards the back-end of the season, Neser decided to skip this year’s County Championship campaign in the United Kingdom to focus on getting his body right for the 2025/26 summer, a decision that did him “wonders”.

“I feel strong again,” he continued.

“I feel like my hammies are back to where they were.”

Despite an impressive start to his Sheffield Shield campaign, taking 14 scalps at 24.28 for the Bulls across three matches, Neser missed selection for Australia’s Ashes squad for the first Test in Perth. However, injuries to Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott opened the door for him to be added to the Test squad at the eleventh hour.

Neser boasts a sublime first-class record at the Gabba, taking 99 wickets at 21, while both of his previous Test appearances came in pink-ball contests, so he inevitably came into calculations for this week’s day-night match in Brisbane.

National selectors made the difficult decision to leave out veteran spinner Nathan Lyon to make room in the starting XI for Neser’s long-awaited return, ending a three-year drought for the seamer.

“I always dream about playing for Australia,” he said.

“It’s something that I live and breathe, cricket. To be given another chance, I’m very honoured.”

It was a brave call from the Australian selectors, a controversial one as well. Two days later, pundits and former players were still questioning the decision, with Lyon’s absence a heavily-debated topic in the commentary booth and the media box.

However, Neser more than justified his selection in England’s second innings, taking career-best figures of 5-42 from 16.2 overs, a performance that put Australia on the cusp of a 2-0 series lead.

Neser bagged his first two scalps under floodlights on Saturday evening, with Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope both spooning return catches back in his direction.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who was nothing short of exceptional with the gloves in the Queensland capital, was up to the stumps for both dismissals, not allowing England’s batters to walk down the pitch and throw Neser off his lengths.

Earlier in his career, Neser understandably didn’t like it when wicketkeepers came up to the stumps, but injured Queensland opener Usman Khawaja helped him understand the benefits of the ploy, which worked for former South African seamer Vernon Philander.

“It’s a way for me to keep the batters on the crease and bring the stumps into play,” he explained.

“I’ve done a lot in the past. The first time I did it, I definitely didn’t want to do it as a fast bowler.

“But Uzzi told me, ‘Just put the ego aside, because it’s beneficial for you.’

“We’ve seen Vernon do it a lot in his Test career successfully, so it’s something I’ve brought in later on in my career.”

The following morning, England captain Ben Stokes and all-rounder Will Jacks combined for a 96-run partnership for the seventh wicket to send a scare through the Australian camp, with the duo threatening to mount an unlikely comeback.

The ball had softened, the pitch had flattened, the conditions had calmed, while mentions of Lyon’s absence became more frequent.

However, Neser came to the rescue by removing Jacks and Stokes, England’s last recognised batters, in consecutive overs to ruin any chance of a miracle fightback.

A stunning one-handed catch from captain Steve Smith was needed to end Jacks’ knock, while Carey, who was up to the stumps, pouched an outside edge from Stokes.

“I know this pitch can go flat for a while, so all I was thinking was to go top of off,” Neser explained to Fox Cricket during the innings break.

“Keep it real simple and every now and then the ball would do something so I was fortunate enough to find the edges a couple of times there.”

Shortly after, Neser sealed his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests by removing tailender Brydon Carse. He walked off the Gabba with the pink Kookaburra in his hands, raising it to the adoring Brisbane crowd, which had risen to its feet.

“I mean I love the Gabba, the fans here,” he added.

“This is my home, the Ashes is such an event for Australians, and to get a five-fa, it’s special.

“A moment I will never forget.”

Speaking to reporters during the post-match press conference on Sunday afternoon, Smith showed Neser in praise for his “sensational” performance with the ball.

“The couple of chances that he took last night were outstanding,” he said.

“I’m super proud of him. He’s been around for a long time now, his first five-wicket haul. He’s been on a lot of tours, he’s been close on a few opportunities.”

“He’s played a few pink-ball games now, and done a tremendous job.”

Smith also addressed the “tight” selection call between Neser and Lyon, admitting the former’s batting prowess contributed to the decision.

“It was pretty close between him and Nathan,” he said.

“We wanted something a little bit different in terms of changing the pace of the game. With him being able to bring the wicketkeeper up, it was the kind of similar role as to what Nathan would play.

“And obviously extended our batting, which we thought was going to be crucial as well.”

Smith added: “Michael offers something different. He can bowl stump to stump, keep things tight and makes you take risks when the ball is probably not quite as quick or a little bit skiddy.”

The third Ashes Test between Australia and England gets underway at Adelaide Oval on December 17.