Pakistan, Oct. 10 -- For every Leicester City Premier League victory or Emma Raducanu run in New York, there are countless more examples of sport refusing to follow the fairytale script.

On Friday morning in Durban, 34-year-old Australia batter Nic Maddinson became the latest to experience the stubbornness of the sporting gods. Maddinson's shock recall to Australia's Test side is notable for various reasons, most significantly because he only returned to cricket 12 months ago.

He was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which spread to his lung and lymph nodes, in April 2025. He missed most of last year to undergo surgery and chemotherapy. Even the most partisan of England fans would have wished him well. But Maddinson's return, almost 10 ...