Bringing Matthew Wade back into the Test team has been a waste of time.
After being dropped in 2013, Wade’s keeping is still rubbish, and his batting is about as good as Glenn McGrath’s.
Sending Wade to India would prove to be a disaster for Australia.
However, that’s not to say Peter Nevill is the answer either, given the 31-year-old’s recent form has also been concerning.
While Nevill scored a century in the Sheffield Shield last month, his keeping ability has been a bit of a worry. He missed a stumping in the Hobart Test, and missed another one off Brad Hogg in the Big Bash last week.
Though Australia has a number of wicketkeepers performing well at domestic level, one gloveman stands out above the rest – Queensland’s Chris Hartley.
Hartley is Australia’s best pure gloveman, along with Tasmania’s Tim Paine.
The Queensland veteran is the only player to take over 500 Sheffield Shield catches, and is only five dismissals behind Darren Berry’s all-time shield record.
Despite the knocks on his ability with the bat, his recent batting form has been excellent. Last shield season, his batting average was 44.08. Meanwhile, Matthew Wade’s average that season was 27.83.
And Hartley has continued his good form during the first half of the shield season, averaging 51.40, as Wade averaged 28.25 before being called back to the Test side.
If Australia wants a Test keeper who can bat, then Chris Hartley should be making his Test debut in Sydney next week.
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