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When Matthew Wade made a right royal botch of stumping South Africa skipper Graeme Smith in Adelaide yesterday, it was a defining moment of the second Test.
Australian captain Michael Clarke had enticed Smith well down the track, beating him all ends up. But Wade’s glovework was so sloppy that Smith had time to regain his ground.
Smith was on 46 at the time, with South Africa 0-86 chasing Australia’s 550.
At stumps on day two Smith was 111* – Wade’s miss has cost them 65 runs so far.
His opening stand with Alviro Petersen eventually finished on 138.
On a benign pitch like Adelaide those chances simply must be taken or you will pay the price.
Wade very nearly repeated the dose when part-time leggy David Warner stranded Hashim Amla out of his crease.
The ball struck Wade on the chest and, fortunately for him, fell back into his gloves with Amla still way out of his crease.
Amla was on his way for 11, but can count himself dead unlucky. Conversely, Australia was dead lucky – Amla was a vital wicket.
Which begs the question: in this combined keeper-batsman era, is keeping or batting the more important factor?
There can be no argument that keeping is the priority by the length of the straight, batting is a bonus.
There are six keepers in the Sheffield Shield with far better, and far more reliable, glovework than Wade.
NSW boast two in Brad Haddin and Peter Neville, Queensland has Chris Hartley, Tasmania Tim Paine, South Australia Tim Ludeman. The West has an outstanding prospect in 22-year-old Tom Triffitt who just happens to be topping the WA’s Shield batting averages with 35.50.
Both Haddin and Paine are former Test keepers. Haddin’s 43rd Test was last January against India, Paine’s fourth was also against India at Bangalore in October 2010.
Haddin is averaging 77 in the Shield this season, Paine 18, Neville 40, Hartley 35, and Ludeman 25.
Their ages, which seem to be a sticking point with most cynics – Haddin 35, Hartley 30, Paine 27, Neville 26, and Ludeman 24.
Any one of them would be a better proposition than Wade, whose Test ton against the West Indies at Roseau is obviously the reason why he’s still there.
Take out that 106 and Wade’s Test average would be almost cut in half from 37.16 to 19.50.
It’s time the Test ‘keeping position was reviewed.