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Just a week or two ago, Brad Haddin was contemplating the end of another close (but not quite close enough) NSW Shield season.
He woke in Mohali during the Third Test to find himself battling trying keep out a mob of marauding Indian spinners while attempting to save Australia from a 0-3 Test series defeat.
It has been a busy week for the veteran gloveman and if Michael Clarke is ruled out of the final Test in Dehli his week could be even busier.
Brad Haddin, not Shane Watson, should captain Australia in the final Test of this humbling series.
Much has been made of the return of vice-captain Shane Watson and the seemingly straight forward ascension of a deputy.
But this would be no ordinary leadership transition.
That Watson would captain a team whose coach and high performance manager less than a week ago publicly questioned his on-field character could actually be hilarious if it didn’t seem so unnerving.
Would it not be funny to see an NRL, rugby or AFL player stood down one week for disciplinary reasons only for the next to be named captain of his club? Josh Dugan may captain Canberra yet.
There seem limitless reasons as to why Watson should not captain this side at this time, and not many of them are to do with cricket.
Right now, Watson as a leader is a potential flash point, perceived or not, that the Australian team does not need.
Having made their bed by taking a stand against their vice-captain, Arthurs and his management team must lie in it, however uncomfortable it may be.
Watson, for his part, should have scuppered any captaincy talk with his door step press conference at Sydney airport last week. You know the one, where he did everything but call Pat Howard’s comments out as lies.
And like a charming and untrusted flatmate keeping your girlfriend company while you’re not home, Michael Clarke would surely prefer to not leave the team in the hands of Watson at this time.
What Clarke and co. would give for superhero Mr Cricket to appear out of a Dehli phone booth? But in the absence of such miracles Watson should take a back seat to the more experienced and less divisive keeper.
This not to say Watson would be an ineffective captain, his time will come to prove it.
Nor is it to down play the professional attitude and adult sensibilities that should manifest through grown men being able to bury any hatchets for the good of a team.
This is to say that right now it just makes sense to leave alone the festering sore of what went on last week and use Haddin as a capable alternative remedy.
As anyone who has played team sports would attest, these kinds of events have a habit of lingering long after the brave faces denying any last damage have been wiped away.
Haddin’s calamine lotion as opposed to Watson’s potential scalpel, a soothing and experienced head to lead what will be one of the most inexperienced and under strength Australian cricket teams in recent memory.
There is also the simple fact that Haddin has had significant captaincy experience at state level and has enjoyed the confidence of being the previous VC of the baggy greens.
The series may be gone but there is a Test match to try and win, along with vital confidence to be gained for future English battles.
Haddin will be unburdened with the baggage so heavily weighing down the relationships of Australia’s four most senior Cricket personnel.
Travelling this lightly could only help a team in search of a badly needed victory and confidence boost.
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