Andrew Fekete was a late-blooming cricketer who finally hit his stride at the age of 29, paving the way for a dramatic – and ultimately heartbreaking – near miss at Test level. 

After claiming 37 Sheffield Shield wickets during the 2014-15 season, he was honoured with Tasmania’s prestigious Ricky Ponting Medal, an accolade that captured the attention of Australia’s national selectors. 

Those performances earned him a place on the Australia A tour of India, where he faced formidable opponents such as Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and KL Rahul. 

While his bowling speeds sat in the low to mid 130km/h range, his speciality lay in generating reverse swing, a crucial skill for subcontinental conditions. 

His displays did not go unnoticed, and upon returning home, he discovered a missed call from then-chairman of selectors Rod Marsh. 

It turned out to be the invitation every cricketer dreams of: a spot in the upcoming two-Test series in Bangladesh.

The Test series was called off after an Islamic State murder in the capital of Dhaka that year

After the disappointment of missing hi  Test debut, Fekete did not get another chance

It was a meteoric rise for someone who had spent years on the fringes of state cricket. 

Yet Australia had not toured Bangladesh for Test matches in nearly a decade, so questions were already lingering when news emerged of an Italian aid worker being murdered in Dhaka. 

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing, prompting a statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: 

‘We are aware that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for this attack. If confirmed, this further highlights the credible and serious nature of the current threat.’ DFAT subsequently advised Cricket Australia.

Fekete recalls that the more experienced players had concerns, while newcomers like Cameron Bancroft were desperate to grasp any opportunity for a Test debut. 

‘I remember talking to Cameron Bancroft,’ Fekete said. 

‘He would have taken a bullet to play for Australia.’ 

‘[However] if we’ve got family friends travelling over, if something happened to them you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself… so for whatever reason it wasn’t meant to be and that’s fine.’ 

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised Australia not to go on the tour of Bangladesh

Bangladesh celebrate after winning the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between England and Bangladesh at Adelaide Ova

By October 1, Cricket Australia officially cancelled the tour, bringing Fekete’s first taste of an Australian call-up to a swift conclusion.

When the home summer started against New Zealand, the squad changed again with Mitchell Johnson’s return. 

Fekete received word he would not be involved, but an even harsher reality hit when his phone pinged with news from the team’s group chat: ‘Mitchell Starc removed you.’ 

In a single stroke, his hopes of a Test debut were gone. Undeterred, he returned to Sheffield Shield cricket for Tasmania, only to find that rivals were now better prepared for his reverse swing.

Determined to keep himself on the selectors’ radar, he tried bowling faster and going for more wickets, but the added pressure took a toll on his body. 

By Christmas, he knew something was seriously wrong with his back. Eventually, he had to pull out of a Shield match in tears, and scans confirmed stress fractures.

Fekete also endured a terrifying moment at the WACA, facing an over at night from the fearsome Mitchell Johnson. 

‘Mitch is at mid-off and he just abused the actual f*** out of me,’ Fekete recalled. 

Fekete would complete his career as an exceptional state and BBL talent but never realised his Test cricket dream

‘You think you’re good enough to play Test cricket and yet you can’t face a Test cricketer.’ 

He admits he was simply relieved to make it off the ground unscathed. 

Despite missing his best shot at the Baggy Green, Fekete later returned to Victoria, where he enjoyed further domestic success. 

His final professional appearance came in 2020, and he looks back fondly on his time in first-class cricket. 

He particularly treasures his memory of training with the Australian squad at Hurstville Oval, brief though it was. 

Since stepping away from the game, he has moved into a corporate role as a Senior Finance Business Partner with the AFL.