After hearing recently about Brad Haddin missing for the second Test match due to personal reasons, it got me thinking. As bad as it is for Haddin, if he has to be rested for personal reasons than it is the right thing to do.
Your mind needs to be clear for a gruelling five-day slog and I would imagine it would be tough to play with off-field issues on your mind.
Having said that though, Haddin’s own personal form would also have been a concern, with thoughts perhaps creeping in that age is against him.
Haddin’s form hasn’t been great for a while now and I was surprised he got selected for the Cricket World Cup this year. Meanwhile, there is a reserve wicketkeeper that would have been disappointed to be overlooked for the Ashes this year.
This poor man’s name is Chris Hartley, and he has been doing very well in the past few seasons in the Sheffield Shield. But the selectors refuse to even give the poor man some praise for his hard work and he never gets acknowledged.
Hartley is another left hander who is a grafter and stroke player fitted for the number seven slot. Not only that but he is the best wicketkeeper at state level.
I would be happy to see Hartley get his chance, even if it had been in the circumstances of Haddin’s omission for the second Test.
Australia, over a long period of time, have never seemed to reward older wicketkeepers who constantly do well at state level.
The funny thing is that Hartley isn’t even 37, yet it looks like Cricket Australia are more than happy for him to never represent his country. A similar thing occurred with Chris Rogers, who waited a long time between his first and second Tests.
I find it funny that the selectors only look as far as New South Wales to select another wicketkeeper at Test level. They need to wake-up and look at the entire Australian landscape, instead of one section.
Joe
Guest
Can't understand why our Test keepers are picked on batting alone. Sure Nevill had a good Shield season with the bat, but his keeping style is very rudimentary and clearly inferior when compared to Hartley, Paine, Ludeman and Whiteman. It's far better to sacrifice 10 runs per innings (the approx. difference between Hartley and Nevill's averages) and have all chances taken behind the stumps than to drop a chance off one of the opposition's top bats. Hartley and Tim Paine are neck and neck as the best keepers in the country; Paine is more extrovert (he can stand up and perform stumpings of fast-mediums a la Jack Russell), while Hartley is the most reliable all-round gloveman in the country. Either one would make a better Test keeper than Nevill while not sacrificing much in the way of run-making (Hartley made a magnificent ton last season, while Paine's century at Blacktown a few days ago was a masterclass in old school nurdling on a tricky wicket). Sam Whiteman is next in line and will probably take over once the others retire.
Bomb78
Guest
Hartley isn't hard done by now, as Nevill is an assured selection - he was hard done by when Wade was picked previously in Haddin's absence. His FC batting average might only be 31 against Wade's 40, but if he wasn't worth 20 runs a test behind the stumps against Wade I've been watching some other cricket my whole life. Shane Warne's greatness has made it difficult for each Australian spinner to play first class cricket since his retirement, and Adam Gilchrist has done the same for wicket keepers. Ian Healy wouldn't get a run in the Australian team today, based on his 'poor' first class batting average of 30. If we only consider picking a 'keeper that could bat in the top six we might just loose out on someone very special.
Sideline Comm.
Guest
Absolutely. Hartley was never a chance and people (Qlders mostly) who drone on about him missing a chance are deluded. He has never been a reliable batsman, despite a slight pick up in form over the last couple of years. Realistically he is not in the same league as Nevill, who by the way is victorian. He may be a good golveman, but people might argue that Tim Paine has been the best pure gloveman in the shield for many years, or at least was when all his fingers worked. I think Ludeman would argue too, he has taken some truly spectacular catches. Anyway, Hartley is not so much better with the gloves than Nevill to ever warrant a selection over him, whenthe latter is a much better all-round cricketer. I'm not trying to be harsh to Hartley, who has been a good player, but there have always been, and still are, names above him.
UncleRon
Guest
Ridiculous argument and Pete Nevill's originally from Victoria anyway. And in case you think I'm anti-Queensland, the next three batsmen the selectors should be looking at are Joe Burns, Chris Lynn and Usman Khawaja, all with maroon caps.
jamesb
Guest
"I find it funny that the selectors only look as far as New South Wales to select another wicketkeeper at Test level." That's not true. When Haddin took a break from the side to attend his daughters well being, the selectors went for Victorian 'keeper Matthew Wade. Wade got off to a good start with the bat, but his keeping was dreadful at times. Wade was part of the Australian side that lost 4-0 to India in 2013. After that debacle, the selectors opted for some experience players for the 2013 Ashes series in England. They brought back Haddin and selected at the time a 35 year old Victorian opening batsman, Chris Rogers to add to his solitary test appearance back in 2008. Haddin was instrumental in the 2013/14 Ashes by saving Australia time and time again. However, Haddin hasn't done much since. In 2013, I did advocate for Hartley to be picked, but the selectors went for Haddin and justified their selection, especially in the 2013/14 series. http://www.theroar.com.au/2013/07/31/chris-hartley-needs-to-be-australias-next-wicketkeeper/ But now its 2015, and sadly for Hartley, he has missed the boat. Do the selectors pick 33 year old Hartley with a FC average of 32, or do they pick 29 year old Nevill who averages nearly 45 with the bat? I think we know the obvious answer to that one. The selectors have given opportunity to non NSW players. But they haven't grabbed the chance with both hands like Wade, or have an inferior average like Hartley.
kevin dustby
Guest
i don't feel sorry for him, a FC batting average of 31 is not going to get you picked in a top class test team these days. its not 1985 any more