Michael Neser

Born in South Africa, Michael Neser moved with his family to the Gold Coast at the age of 10. When he emerged into state cricket he developed into one of the game's most consistent performers with his nippy seam bowling, handy lower-batting and safe catching. From 2019, it kept him regularly on the fringes of the Test squad with a debut coming in late 2021 against England when Pat Cummins was ruled out of the Adelaide Test having been a Covid close contract.

A second cap followed a year late on the same ground, against West Indies, but it appeared his Test career may end with two appearances given the strength and durability of Australia's main fast bowlers. However, that changed in late 2025 when injuries hit during that season's Ashes and Neser found himself playing three of the five Tests: he claimed a maiden five-wicket haul on his comeback in Brisbane, and finishing with 15 at 19.93 for the series - his partnership with Alex Carey stood up to the stumps becoming a remarkable success - and a central contract followed a few months later.

What could be a fulfilling late-career role in the Test looked doubtful 12 months earlier when a severe hamstring injury ahead of the India series in the 2024-25 summer disrupted his season and needed extensive rehab. For one of the most popular players on the circuit, his return to the Australia side was a feelgood story.

Neser had made his state debut in 2010-11 in the Sheffield Shield and Ryobi Cup although injuries prevented him from becoming a permanent member of the Queensland side. He was called up to the Australia A squad to take on South Africa A in four-day matches in August 2014.

He continued to perform for Queensland as a pivotal part of the 2017-18 Shield title, but he also played a vital role in the Strikers BBL title in the same season. Those contributions did not go unnoticed by the Australian selectors. Neser was called up to the 2018 ODI tour of England and made his ODI debut at The Oval, playing two matches of the five-match series. He went on the Australia A tour of India and performed admirably in the two four-day games leading to a call up to Australia's new-look Test squad for the two-Test tour of the UAE against Pakistan. A career-best Shield season followed in 2018-19 where he made 481 runs and claimed 34 wickets which earned him a place on the 2019 Ashes tour although Test cricket would still be a couple of years away.

As of early 2026, both his career-best first-class batting (176 not out) and bowling (7 for 32) came for Glamorgan in the same standout 2023 season.