Maddinson eyes more Bankstown bounty

The highly-publicised rescheduling of this weekend's Sheffield Shield clash away from the SCG could prove to be a blessing for NSW Blues batsman Nic Maddinson.

The four-day game against Tasmania was shifted from the SCG due to concerns over the state of the outfield, with Bankstown Oval to host its seventh first-class fixture.

Quick Single: CA confident SCG will be ready for Test

Maddinson became accustomed to both Tasmania's bowling attack and the Bankstown Oval conditions during the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup last month; he scored an unbeaten 118 against the Tigers at Hurstville and opened the tournament with a century against the CA XI at Bankstown.

WATCH: Highlights of Maddinson's ton against Tasmania

And the 23-year-old is confident he has a blueprint for how to flourish at the picturesque suburban ground, which provides a significant test of patience for batsmen.

"It's usually pretty slow and low and does wear into the game, so that's something that I think plays into our game," Maddinson said.

"I think you just have to absorb that pressure in those conditions when you first go in. It can be very tough as a new batsman on a low and slow wicket with a ball that does tend to reverse after 20 or 30 overs.

"It's about absorbing some pressure and once you get in it's a pretty quick outfield and the ground is not a massive one so you can really make up scoring once you get your eye in."

Maddinson put his words into action during his century against the CA XI five weeks ago.

Opening the innings, the left-hander started strongly against the hard new ball, hitting five fours and a six inside the first seven overs to be 33 from 29 balls when the first wicket fell at 56.

WATCH: Highlights of Maddinson's ton against the CA XI

He then consolidated, scoring just one more boundary and taking a further 23 balls to reach his half-century. And he was happy to continue that steady pace as he approached three figures before lifting the rate again, reaching his ton with a four and a six in consecutive deliveries.

The fluctuations in pace during his 120-ball innings underlined a welcome sign of maturity from a batsman who burst on the scene with a century on Shield debut five years ago, and underlined why he has been pegged for international honours.

Quick Single: Blue-chip Maddinson's stock on the rise

"Nic is obviously a player of great potential for NSW," National Selector Mark Waugh said at the time.

"He's had some taste of international cricket but he's a player that I know the National Selection Panel definitely have on the radar for higher honours. He's just got to get runs consistently and make big scores.

"You keep scoring runs, you get your confidence up and people notice when you're making big hundreds or taking five wickets. That's what you've got to do as a player."

While Maddinson’s Matador Cup form will give him confidence, opening the innings in one-day cricket is a vastly different challenge to batting in the middle order against the red ball.

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Maddinson during his hundred against Tasmania // Getty

The left-hander has had an interrupted start to the Shield season; he managed just 17 in his only innings of NSW's opening match against South Australia and the abandonment of last week's game at the SCG cost him a chance to spend more time in the middle.

Having smacked 380 runs from seven innings in the Matador Cup, Maddinson says he has to make some slight adjustments to his game when he pulls on the whites.

"I think the biggest change for me is probably my judgement and knowing when to let the ball go," he said.

"That's probably the thing I've been working on at the moment, and my defence. But apart from that I don't think my game plan has to change too much. 

"There were times (in the Matador Cup) when I made mistakes but as an opener you've got to take a risk at some point in your innings especially early when the field's up. Sometimes it worked and other times it didn't."

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Maddinson celebrates his century against the CA XI // Getty

Tasmania have made three significant changes for the clash at Bankstown, dropping former Test squad members Andrew Fekete and Tim Paine as well as Matador Cup centurion Dom Michael.

Quick Single: Tigers selectors swing the axe

The Blues have recalled Sean Abbott to a 13-man squad for the match, which could be hampered by more wet weather that is forecast in Sydney for the first three days of the match.

Both sides are no stranger to Bankstown Oval having played a Shield match there in March this year, a match the Blues won by ten wickets after an extraordinary comeback from their tail.

The home side collapsed to be 6-110 at one point in response to Tasmania's 237 before Gurinder Sandhu (97 not out), Steve O'Keefe (87) and Nathan Lyon (42) powered them to a match-winning total of 394.

NSW Blues: Moises Henriques (c), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Ed Cowan, Josh Lalor, Jay Lenton, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Gurinder Sandhu, Will Somerville

Tasmanian Tigers: George Bailey (c), Alex Doolan, Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Jake Doran, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Hamish Kingston, Sam Rainbird, Clive Rose, Tom Triffitt, Beau Webster.