A big missed opportunity: There should have been more backing for season-opening ODI at the ‘G

The idea of the ODI at the MCG today is sensational, I just don’t think it’s been leveraged to its full extent.

This was worthy of a few days of saturation advertising from Cricket Australia to build awareness that it’s on.

We’re never going to recapture the days when the One Day International in our city was one of the biggest and wildest days in the calendar. A great many of you will have stories from those occasions, and they make for great nostalgic viewing on Fox Cricket.

But 50 over cricket remains a great format, and today is very sellable.

Opening the batting for Australia are a pair of Victorians, Matt Short and the young tyro Jake Fraser-McGurk. One will win the job long-term.

I’m up for a bit of Fraser-McGurk circus hitting as a primer for the Melbourne Cup.

Switching to the red ball, I watched the great Australian bat-off across the past four days … the position has been filled.

We ran the contest and Nathan McSweeney won. Top score in both innings, he survived in difficult conditions on Day 1 and batted his team to victory on Day 4.

He was mature, composed and judicious.

But more than anything else he’s at the peak of his form, he’s never batted better and that’s the time for selectors to strike.

This season so far, McSweeney has made Shield and One Day centuries and posted 88 not out to successfully navigate a run chase against India A.

The South Australian captain has passed the interview, now it’s time for the dress rehearsal.

Put McSweeney up to open in this second ‘A’ game on Thursday and get everyone comfortable with the idea that he’s our guy come the First test in Perth.

Cam Bancroft is horribly out of form, Sam Konstas isn’t quite ready and Marcus Harris is a whisker short of the standard.

The answer is Nathan McSweeney, congratulations, and welcome to Test cricket.

Eight innings this season for 555 runs at 92.5.

Last Shield season he was fourth on the run-scoring chart with 762 runs at 40, including three centuries playing in the worst team.

Pick the guy making runs, it’s the best policy.