Time for Wade to hang up the gloves

I thought you were describing lead foot Haddin until I reread the first line and saw the name. Since when has being a competent keeper been the Australian test pre-requisite??

Bit tough on the lad there Dan. Remember he's 18 and has just started his career. We look at Dean and his brilliant start in Shield cricket, but he's 5 years older. I've seen Doran play and he has a good style about him. Has been out a couple of times though to loose shots especially against the cluey fast bowlers. But he looked superior is style and timing than most of the other Tasmanians. He'll come good. I'll suggest to you he'll make at least one century during the present season.

Whilst I haven't watched him bat so far since he moved to TAS.. Doran has stunk up the place in 95% of his innings in Matador and both innings of the opening shield game. I won't write him off yet, but that's a pretty lacklustre start to his time in the big boy league.

Handscomb seemed to do poorly in his games for Gloucester. I expected more of him. I have a feeling he made do a Jordan Silk and fade away into obscurity. Stoinis has had his moments in the domestic comp but it was utterly ridiculous putting him in the T20 team. Unforgivable. Wade's batting is ok but he has the same flake level of Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh. Throw away their wickets way to often despite their glimpses of brilliance. I still think they should've gone with Sam Whiteman instead of Nevill, I think Ludeman is a better keeper, but Whiteman has a few more gritty innings under his belt. Nevills keeping is better than Wade's from what I've seen, but it's clear they chose him because of his stellar shield season with the bat.

No. Most are potentially better.

Train, Maddinson is 23 year old. He has the highest Shield average of any batsman under 25 years old in the Shield. We are talking up Mitch Marsh, Bancroft, Handscomb, Stoinis etc. Not one of them has a better average. Maddinson had a poor season about 2 years back because he was forced to open, not his usual spot and that dragged him down to the mid 30s but he picked up last season. Just as a reminded of last season, his scores were 118, 8, 85, 49, 93, 11, 2, 19 and 98 for an average of 53.7 . Hardly a poor season that

Klinger doesn't bat in the tail. He has less access to not outs. We don't gave 22 long termers. Perhsps that's why you threw that term in there. There are (at least) 22 better batsmen than him. Most are younger...but way better.

Maddison hasn't cracked the 40s despite being high 30s for about 2 years now. I think it's foolish to just expect players to progress by right of them being young. Some may, but it would signal an increase in the level of talent that we have had for years.

Long term only refers to the length of their career at FC level. You can only have a low average if you are currently batting well if you once batted poorly at that level. You'd struggled to find 10 active Aus batsmen with an average of over 40 who averaged 50 or more last season. Klinger for example has a career average of about 37. Interesting you often defend Mitch Marsh's record saying he batted down the order and didn't focus on batting so it's a reason to expect a lower record. Wade is a keeper and you claim he hides down the order...

Not yet but its coming. I believe along with those already there, but not in the test team, such as Lynn, Maxwell and Cosgrove, you will see Bancroft, Maddinson, Head, Handscomb, Stoinis and maybe eventually Silk will get into the 40s over the next year or two. And watch out for Doran in a year or two and who knows what this youngster Dean might be. There's a lot moving up the ranks and many of the 30 something batsmen who cant reach 40 average are going to be also rans.

Remember that Wade rarely challenges himself by batting in the top order. He hides behind a higher order buffer. When he does more than hang around, having a slog with the tail and bank an average on a handful of not outs to neutralize his failures, then we might be able to take him seriously as a challenge.

That's because they are only just starting their FC careers. Can't be long term until you play for a long term.

Bearfax that's not an abundance of players averaging above 40 at FC level.

FC Average of 39 and 2014/15 Sheffield Shield average of 57. I don't think there is 22 batsmen who can point to better long term records and recent form than that.

Wade is easily the worst wicket keeper in state competition in the country right now. His batting is pretty good, but if Wade is the best possible option for a middle order specialist batsman then we have a real problem in our talent stocks.. But he's not, is he? We have some genuinely talented and potentially champion players in their very early twenties that in the next two seasons will put their hand up for a baggy green. Lynn, Handscomb, Maddinson, Head, Harris, maybe Doran in two to three years. This is on top of the current crop of Khawaja, Burns, and Bancroft. We don't need Wade in the test team as a batsman, and definitely not as a keeper.

Agreed

Handscomb has better potential as a test bastman than Wade if you ask me. As a Victorian, I would rather see Handscomb focus on his batting. Wade does well batting at 5 or 6 for Victoria, we need a good lower middle order batsman. Handscomb should bat at 3 as our best batsman.

The thing is Nudge when there is a witch hunt out on a player, every flaw is watched for in their game to justify the claim. Its human nature. That's what happened to Phil Hughes. I have watched other top players and have seen lots of serious mistakes but they arent focused on because no one is seriously talking about them. Let me ask do you watch every wicketkeeper as closely focused as you do on Wade. Bet you dont, although you'll probably deny it. That's not criticism, that normal human self deception and we all do it in bucket loads in our life. I'm not suggesting Wade is the best wicket keeper around. I thought I'd indicated that and I was also suggesting he give up the gloves because he could make a decent batsman. But Nudge if he is so poor in comparison to other wicketkeepers, why do they keep selecting him even at state level to do that job. Its like with my criticism of Shaun Marsh. I'll admit I watch his play a little more closely than most because it reinforces what I think of him, a very talented one day player but too flawed for test cricket. Fortunately I can use comparative test averages to justify my position. With wicketkeepers its far more difficult and is much more by way of impressions and on focusing more closely than with most others, on their flaws

In the Victorian set up, I wouldn't mind seeing Wade become a specialist batsman, and Handscomb taking the gloves. It may benefit both players as far as test selection is concerned. Wade has played 12 tests and already has two test centuries. Just sayin'.

Bear fax, you can't be serious that he's a decent keeper. 16 missed chances in 10 tests. The catch he dropped off Pattinson last week was dead set embarrassing.