McDermott aims to make ground

Gold Coast product Ben McDermott has one key lesson in mind from his recent tour of the UAE with Australia if he gets his chance for a home debut against South Africa on Saturday night: don't get run-out. 

McDermott was the rookie batting addition for the Australians in the Emirates last month, and after making 10no on debut against the host nation, he was caught out of his ground in all three innings against Pakistan, making 0, 3 and 21. 

The right-hander earned his selection off the back of a sparkling JLT One-Day Cup tournament for Tasmania, in which he made a pair of hundreds, while last summer he was the KFC Big Bash's sixth-leading run-scorer with Hobart Hurricanes. 

But a dream opportunity quickly became a nightmare for the 23-year-old as the Aussies were swept three-nil. 

"Just reflecting on those three run-outs, I was batting in the middle order and wanted to get off strike – there was a bit of pressure there," said McDermott, who will captain the CA XI against the Proteas on Wednesday in Brisbane ahead of Saturday's one-off T20I on the Gold Coast. 

"Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) was batting really well in the second game and I just had to get him on strike, and that was a risk I was willing to take – hitting one to midwicket and (the fielder) having one stump to throw at. They were pretty good in the ring.

"But it was a great experience, I learnt a lot over there – playing in different conditions, batting in different positions. Playing spin on those subcontinental wickets in the T20 format, I've never really done that before." 

With potentially another five opportunities in the middle for the CA XI and Australia in the T20 format in the coming weeks (two against South Africa, three against India), McDermott could also pile the pressure on Australia's ODI batsmen, particularly given how murky the picture remains just seven months out from the World Cup after a fifth-straight bilateral series defeat. 

The right-hander has emerged as one of the cleanest hitters in the country in recent seasons, and his call-up last week to the ODI squad as batting cover was an indication he is very much in the frame in the 50-over format as well. 

"It should be in everyone's mind – you want to be involved in those big events," he said. "(I feel) very confident with the way my game's going in T20s in Australia. 

"I've had some good performances in the Big Bash so hopefully I can take them into international cricket if I get the opportunity."

McDermott, son of legendary paceman Craig McDermott, grew up on the Gold Coast and will have no shortage of family and friends for the inaugural international in the tourist hotspot.  

"I played cricket for the Southport School and the Dolphins for a while, so it's going to be good to get back there and get a game hopefully," he said. 

"I've had a couple (of mates) asking for tickets, it's exciting that my family's going to be there, so hopefully it'll be a really good game."

Gillette T20s v South Africa and India

Gillette T20s v South Africa and India

Gillette T20s v South Africa 

November 17: Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast

Gillette T20s v India

November 21: The Gabba

November 23: MCG

November 25: SCG

Australia T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

South Africa T20 squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

India T20 squad: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant (wk), Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.