At the beginning of the Australian summer of 1999, there were pleas from across the nation to allow Ian Healy one last Test series before retiring. As the selectors stood firm, the appeals were reduced to just one last home Test at the Gabba.
It was for a gloveman who had given countless bucketloads of sweat for his country, and who now sported the fingers of an arthritic pensioner due to a career of more than 10 years behind the stumps. The selectors again waved off the request like a stubborn umpire.
There was national outrage, from the public, players, ex-players, and the great wicketkeeper himself.
This resulted in the man on debut, Adam Gilchrist, receiving a reception at the Gabba that would have been more appropriate had Hansie Cronje taken the stage to give a speech about ethics in sport.
All this came about despite the fact that Gilchrist had been one of the top performers on the one-day scene since he moved up the order to open the batting some two years earlier.
Heals, on the other hand had not posted a score of over 40 for almost a year, even though he had held his place for tours against Test cricket welterweights like the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
Gilchrist had recently lead Australia to World Cup glory, and his place in the Test side had been a long time coming. In retrospect, it was far too long, but the name Ian Healy had become synonymous with Australian wicketkeeping.
He was a larrikin, revered by team mates, and epitomised the hard-working approach that the Australian public expected from their cricketers.
The selectors’ unpopular decision was immediately vindicated, with Gilchrist having a fantastic debut series and never looking back. He went on to play 96 Tests with a batting average of 47.60, including 17 hundreds, and a record of 416 dismissals.
By comparison to Gilchrist’s fillet mignon, Healy’s offerings look like Coles-brand thousand animal snags, as over 119 Tests he averaged 27.39 with the bat, with only four Test hundreds to supplement his 395 dismissals.
His glovework was never doubted, and is what helped him hold his place in the team during lean spells, but then again Gilchrist was no slouch behind the stumps, took 10 catches in a match early in his Test career, and went onto eclipse Healy’s dismissal record despite playing far fewer Tests.
When reflecting on their career numbers, it would be completely understandable that Gilchrist could feel a little hard done by when comparing his number of Tests played with that of his predecessor, and if justice prevailed the numbers should really have been reversed.
Even though the selectors made what many thought to be a heartless decision by denying Healy one last home Test, the truth is the decision to drop him should have been made much earlier given Gilchrist’s sublime one-day form.
We can always look to the future by learning from the past, and one would hope that today’s selectors do not make the same mistakes.
In some respects, Brad Haddin possess many Healy-esque qualities – fast talking, cheeky and capable of a swashbuckling innings.
But it isn’t just his form that is a problem for Australia, as he has taken plenty of criticism regarding reckless shot selection and the constant his belief that he can hit his way out of trouble.
Haddin has only held the gloves for four years at Test level, so removing him should not induce the national backlash that occurred after Healy was directed to the nearest possible exit.
Matthew Wade has burst onto the international scene this summer, already posting match-winning scores in the first Twenty20 then tonight in the opening one-day match.
He had previously been given two chances in South Africa in the game’s shortest format, but this time around he has truly grasped his opportunities with three back to back cavalier innings.
With a better than healthy first class average a tick over 40, coupled with his young age of 24, Wade has every chance to develop into a prosperous cricketer for Australia in all forms of the game.
Let’s hope that the selectors do not make the same mistakes as those that held the job before them, and delay Wade’s Test cricket debut a moment longer.
At least the selectors have signaled their intent by picking him for the Windies tour, but I for one, would like to see him don the baggy green for the first Test in Barbados.
He needs as much Test cricket as possible before the challenging series against South Africa and England come around, and has the potential to be every bit the match winner that Adam Gilchrist was.
As for Bradley Haddin, well, it seems there is always a spot in the commentary box for Aussie larrikins. There is little doubt his future lies there.
Red Kev
Guest
So is Nevill. As I posted above I watched him very closely in the Ryobi Cup match on the weekend, his work to spinners was no better than Wade's.
jameswm
Guest
Massively inflated by not outs? It's not his fault he didn't get out. I don't care about strike rates, and I don't think OD averages are relevant. If wade opens, he'll have a higher average than someone coming in at 7. It all comes down to their keeping levels. I recommend you all have a close look at Wade, as he's the one we can watch. Watch him alone when the spinner's bowling. He's rough.
Lolly
Guest
Prior might be the complete wk/batsman but the Sri Lankan keeper and the new keeper for the West Indies, Carlton Baugh, are the best pure keepers in test cricket. Carlton Baugh is quite brilliant, but the Aussies would never pick a keeper THAT good as he'll never average 40 in test cricket. He'll be lucky to average 30. But his footwork and glovework behind the stumps are such a relief to watch.
Purple Shag
Roar Guru
Let's say for arguments sake that Wade's keeping isn't up to scratch in the 5 day format, cause Nathan Lyon makes them bite like no other (yeah right), I still think there's some merrit in calling for his place up the top of the order, even with T-Paine or Nevill donning the gloves. It's not like there are many more knocking at the door, and there are a tonne of batsmen who have now shown how aggression can be used at test level. Wade is young and if his keeping is sub-par, which i'm not saying it is, and he couldn't improve, which seems very unlikely, then his batting average is only going to go up as an outfielder. I still think with no young top order players really making a great case for selection, take the guy whose's young, putting the one-day & shield runs on the board (providing of course his one day form continues.) There are a heap of one-dayers before the first test against the Windies so hopefully there is no form slump for Mr Wade between now and then (knock, knock)
MrKistic
Guest
Nevill is a proper Victorian. Wade is the next best thing. Pick 'em both already!
TJ
Guest
James, having watched plenty of Nevill and Wade, there is absolutely non substance to the claim Nevill is a better keeper than Wade.
TJ
Guest
McCullum's keeping is first rate. It's actually his batting that should be worried about. His test average struggles to get close to 40. With a lack of wicketkeeping depth in NZ they should have kept McCullum as keeper, but instead McCullum chose to give up the gloves to concentrate on batting, not because his keeping was sub-standard.
Red Kev
Guest
Wicketkeepers are not selected to post tons. 50 is fine. That "inferior strike rate" is 2 different. Compared to ODD where Nevill's average is 14 and Wade's is the same as his FC one ... oh and Wade reverses the strike rate differential. Like I said it is not to say that Nevill is not a better batsman but the idea that he is demonstrably more than slightly better when compared to Wade is fallacious.
Jason
Guest
Prior is easily the best keeper batsman at the moment and has obviously improved both aspects over the course of his career. Early on I thought he keeping was pretty mediocre. Dhoni's batting in Tests is pretty suspect (at least outside of India). Boucher is massively over rated as both a keeper and batsman IMO but then again 500+ dismissals is unlikely ever to be beaten.
Jason
Guest
Wade has one additional ton in 32 additional matches to Nevill. His average is about 10 runs less and he has an inferior strike rate. Hard to see how this is "slightly" inferior although I agree it is still pretty early for Nevill. By the way, not outs don't necessarily inflate averages.
Johnno
Guest
Matt Prior to me is the modern day complete keeper. Can bat well, and keep well, so is Marc Boucher in his prime the complete keeper. As some one else said you can have keepers like Mcallum, AB De villiers and sangakarra, they end up doing more harm than good, with sloppy keeping. Matt Prior is the complete keeper for mine, and Dhoni as well.
Matt F
Guest
Keeping is now a package deal. You can't have a keeper who struggles to average 30 (probably even 35) but you also can't have a keeper averaging 50 yet butchering heaps of simple chances. Sangakarra and McCullum are examples of former keepers who are now just batsmen in Test cricket (though they generally keep in the shorter formats) as their keeping was not test standard. Though I believe that Wade will initially be picked in the test team as a keeper, it wouldn't surprise me if he was eventually played as only a batsman.
Red Kev
Guest
Nevill's first class average is massively inflated by not outs. Their records in terms of runs per match are more comparable (a difference of 5 as opposed to 10). Nevill has 28 innings with 8 not outs, that equates to reducing his number of innings by 28% as opposed to a more normal 16% increase for Wade. It is also worth noting that Nevill's ODD record is massively inferior to that of Wade. That's not to say that Nevill is not the better batsman, he may well be, but he has only had 18 matches, Wade has sustained a slightly inferior FC record and a much better ODD record over more than double the time period. He's a safer bet.
Jason
Guest
In Limited Overs matches maybe. Nevill has a superior first class batting record.
Luke of GC
Guest
Agree with those who say Matty Wade's keeping is just as good (or bad as the case may be) as Peter Nevill's. I've seen some pretty ordinary efforts behind the stumps from Nevill as well. Matty Wade is the most deserved player to replace Brad Haddin imo. And he has taken to international Cricket like a duck to water so far.
Red Kev
Guest
I watched Nevill very closely during the Ryobi Cup game on the weekend, precisely because I've seen you post this before and I noticed Wade's keeping to spinners was not as good as I would have liked in the T20 internationals. Nevill's keeping was no better than Wade's.
jameswm
Guest
I wtched both Wade and Nevill keep in the T20s. Nevill left Wade for dead. OK, so you say not sloppy, but raw? It's just a question of semantics. In the two matches I saw Wade had a missed stumping and two straight drop/fumbles from spinners - so that's 3 poor takes in say 16 overs of spin. Given few get through to the keeper in a T20, it's not a great strike rate. Nevill had one game, a stumping and no fumbles. Look at Wade when he keeps - he batsman-watches, fails to react fast enough and doesn't anticipate. He doesn't look natural. Why pick someone not as good in the hope he'll improve, over someone who is better?
Nathan
Guest
Nevill is a highly overrated keeper. His glovework is no better than Wade's domestically and he doesn't keep well to spin at all (Probably because NSW haven't produced a decent spinner in years and that includes Steve Smith). Wade was not sloppy in the T20I or ODI, he was raw. He needs time keeping to quality spin, otherwise his keeping is excellent and his batting handy. Could benefit from an IPL stint. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
jameswm
Guest
That was Khawaja opening - but on from so far maybe they'd have been better off with Kat batting twice.
jameswm
Guest
Yes it's tough when the annointed one fails to come through.