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Article by baggy_blogger -
I have seen sufficient footage of Matt Wade to have drawn a good enough conclusion that he is a capable cricketer within the core aspects of his game, notably as a wicket keeper first.
His batting technique is admirable in the longer form of the game, willing to apply himself with a safeguard over his wicket, possesses patience and has the natural ability to attack when an aggressive approach is required for the team.</p> In many regards he is similar to his good mate Tim Paine.
Both are versatile batsmen within the batting order, they are more than capable at holding their own with the bat alone but most importantly they are highly skilled wicket keepers who can handle duties for Australia in all forms of the game at the elite level.
This is an invaluable gift for Australian cricket to have nurtured two very skilled blokes who also have age well on their side.
Tim Paine has experienced the elite level in all forms of the game and been used in different match situations. In limited overs he frequently held the top order spot while in the few Tests he played he was used as a middle order batsman, the common place for a Keeper in Test cricket in the modern era.
Unfortunately, Tim has been set back with a finger injury that has turned out to be far more serious than initially speculated. It has created a few issues.
Directly it has put immense pressure upon his own career I?d imagine after he?d really begun to bloom as a cricketer spoken of by the casual cricket followers. Other keepers have begun to move into the system, an issue a player like Mitchell Johnson is currently facing.
Tim has been noticed and was recognised as an Australian cricketer, importantly an Australian wicket keeper.
So far this injury has kept him out of cricket for 6 months.
During those 6 months Brad Haddin, Australia?s primary keeper, has lost confidence within his own game and it?s had a very unfortunate effect on all facets of his game.
His Keeper standards are definitely not where they have been previously in his career, indicating that his standards have indeed dropped.
That drop catch at the end of day 3 in the 2nd Test against India could be put down as just a drop catch, which happens to all cricketers and we?ve all put down catches.
The concern I have though is how badly Hads judged that catch, how he overcommitted himself.
It was a very big blunder and I am still baffled by it because an inform keeper surely won?t slip up that severely?
At 34 years of age with wicket keeping being such an instinctive position, once the reflexes and instinct starts to get away, as well as confidence leaks, it can be a problematic issue that is not easily resolved.
Adam Gilchrist was one person who realised this having seen two seasons of a decrease in his standards and a slight loss for his love of the game, which I read about in his book ?True Colours?.
If Hads were to be dropped it would be unlikely he?d return to the Test side at his age with the younger prospects definitely in no doubt for ability or required skill sets.
Amongst the decline in his standards with the gloves and simple chances evidently and memorably slipping through, his batting has also seen a disheartening decline.
Hads is a bloke who is joy to watch when he plays his strokes as best as anyone in the game. Unfortunately he has repeatedly thrown his wicket away leaving supporters with a feeling that he shows little value for his wicket.
It often appears as careless and reckless and two recent incidents that continue to be mentioned in constructive articles I read are those of Newland?s and Hobart.
Hads waited a long time in line for the position but it?s hard to imagine, based on general keeper history I?m aware of, that Hads can drastically improve.
What I find odd is that there is a batch of blokes eager and capable in being introduced. This gradual process has occurred with Tim Paine and most recently with Matt Wade in Twenty20 cricket.
It seems though that the selectors are either giving Hads a full run for the summer knowing he is an experienced competitor and can come right for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series or they are giving him a fair run for before potentially changing the guard come the Windies tour.
I have been most impressed by our new selectors and trust they won?t continue with Hads if he doesn?t come right. This could also further damage his confidence, which already seems dented.
The persisting with Hads is also evidently and understandably due to Tim Paine being injured and it seems the selectors are hell bent on Tim being the guy to replace Hads.
This is all well and good but when there is a bloke like Matt Wade ready, in form and having proven himself a worthy candidate over the last year, why hold back?
Tim?s injury is a serious one and it could mean he is out still out a while longer which is also problematic given the season is half way through already.
I haven?t ever paid too much attention to Matt Wade?s statistics but I was fascinated to see statistically there isn?t much separating Tim and Matt. in certain areas, mostly pointing to what elevates a player to Test cricket.
It would seem that Matt is definitely a far more appealing front line candidate to take over the gloves man duties from Hads at this point in time, also based on current form and performances in State cricket.
Are the Sheffield Shield and State competitions a vital basis for selection now according to the Argus Review?
If it is the case then it looks like Matt Wade has ticked all the boxes.
Read the rest of the article here.
This article is brought to you by The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click here.
More...
I have seen sufficient footage of Matt Wade to have drawn a good enough conclusion that he is a capable cricketer within the core aspects of his game, notably as a wicket keeper first.
His batting technique is admirable in the longer form of the game, willing to apply himself with a safeguard over his wicket, possesses patience and has the natural ability to attack when an aggressive approach is required for the team.</p> In many regards he is similar to his good mate Tim Paine.
Both are versatile batsmen within the batting order, they are more than capable at holding their own with the bat alone but most importantly they are highly skilled wicket keepers who can handle duties for Australia in all forms of the game at the elite level.
This is an invaluable gift for Australian cricket to have nurtured two very skilled blokes who also have age well on their side.
Tim Paine has experienced the elite level in all forms of the game and been used in different match situations. In limited overs he frequently held the top order spot while in the few Tests he played he was used as a middle order batsman, the common place for a Keeper in Test cricket in the modern era.
Unfortunately, Tim has been set back with a finger injury that has turned out to be far more serious than initially speculated. It has created a few issues.
Directly it has put immense pressure upon his own career I?d imagine after he?d really begun to bloom as a cricketer spoken of by the casual cricket followers. Other keepers have begun to move into the system, an issue a player like Mitchell Johnson is currently facing.
Tim has been noticed and was recognised as an Australian cricketer, importantly an Australian wicket keeper.
So far this injury has kept him out of cricket for 6 months.
During those 6 months Brad Haddin, Australia?s primary keeper, has lost confidence within his own game and it?s had a very unfortunate effect on all facets of his game.
His Keeper standards are definitely not where they have been previously in his career, indicating that his standards have indeed dropped.
That drop catch at the end of day 3 in the 2nd Test against India could be put down as just a drop catch, which happens to all cricketers and we?ve all put down catches.
The concern I have though is how badly Hads judged that catch, how he overcommitted himself.
It was a very big blunder and I am still baffled by it because an inform keeper surely won?t slip up that severely?
At 34 years of age with wicket keeping being such an instinctive position, once the reflexes and instinct starts to get away, as well as confidence leaks, it can be a problematic issue that is not easily resolved.
Adam Gilchrist was one person who realised this having seen two seasons of a decrease in his standards and a slight loss for his love of the game, which I read about in his book ?True Colours?.
If Hads were to be dropped it would be unlikely he?d return to the Test side at his age with the younger prospects definitely in no doubt for ability or required skill sets.
Amongst the decline in his standards with the gloves and simple chances evidently and memorably slipping through, his batting has also seen a disheartening decline.
Hads is a bloke who is joy to watch when he plays his strokes as best as anyone in the game. Unfortunately he has repeatedly thrown his wicket away leaving supporters with a feeling that he shows little value for his wicket.
It often appears as careless and reckless and two recent incidents that continue to be mentioned in constructive articles I read are those of Newland?s and Hobart.
Hads waited a long time in line for the position but it?s hard to imagine, based on general keeper history I?m aware of, that Hads can drastically improve.
What I find odd is that there is a batch of blokes eager and capable in being introduced. This gradual process has occurred with Tim Paine and most recently with Matt Wade in Twenty20 cricket.
It seems though that the selectors are either giving Hads a full run for the summer knowing he is an experienced competitor and can come right for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar series or they are giving him a fair run for before potentially changing the guard come the Windies tour.
I have been most impressed by our new selectors and trust they won?t continue with Hads if he doesn?t come right. This could also further damage his confidence, which already seems dented.
The persisting with Hads is also evidently and understandably due to Tim Paine being injured and it seems the selectors are hell bent on Tim being the guy to replace Hads.
This is all well and good but when there is a bloke like Matt Wade ready, in form and having proven himself a worthy candidate over the last year, why hold back?
Tim?s injury is a serious one and it could mean he is out still out a while longer which is also problematic given the season is half way through already.
I haven?t ever paid too much attention to Matt Wade?s statistics but I was fascinated to see statistically there isn?t much separating Tim and Matt. in certain areas, mostly pointing to what elevates a player to Test cricket.
It would seem that Matt is definitely a far more appealing front line candidate to take over the gloves man duties from Hads at this point in time, also based on current form and performances in State cricket.
Are the Sheffield Shield and State competitions a vital basis for selection now according to the Argus Review?
If it is the case then it looks like Matt Wade has ticked all the boxes.
Read the rest of the article here.
This article is brought to you by The Baggy Green Blog!
Thanks for reading this article written by Ian.
To comment on this article, click here.
More...
I think Haddin's just as talented a player as Wade, arguably more. So to me it's just a question of form - if he gets it back, lets keep him.
