Dropped Test batsman Nic Maddinson has returned to NSW cricket training after taking time out from the game but he didn't get a hit due to some much-needed rain in Sydney.
The Blues left-hander last week took indefinite leave for personal reasons following a tough period in which he was dropped after three Tests and scored just 75 runs in seven BBL knocks.
His decision to take leave prompted discussions about player welfare and support for those who are dropped from national teams.
He turned up on Tuesday at Sydney's Drummoyne Oval, along with other NSW squad members who didn't play in the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland that finished on Monday.
Steady rain didn't allow Maddinson to have a bat.
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It's believed Maddinson hasn't set a time frame for his return to competitive cricket.
The Blues' next Shield game against Tasmania in Wollongong starts on February 25.
With his layoff and lack of recent runs and the form of the Blues incumbent Shield batsmen, there's no guarantee he'll earn an immediate recall.
Maddinson pulled out of NSW's last two Shield matches and hasn't played since the BBL final on January 28.
His last first-class game was the Boxing Day Test.
Maddinson could go back to play Sydney grade cricket, while NSW have a four-day Futures League match against Western Australia in Perth starting next Monday.
NSW piled up 523 and 603 in their last two Shield innings, with opener Nick Larkin, the man most likely to make way for Maddinson, scoring 86 against the Bulls last weekend.
Maddinson, 25, made his Test debut against South Africa in Adelaide in late November.
He was dismissed for a duck and scored 1, 4 and 22 in innings against Pakistan before being dropped.
