*Official* Road to 2013 Ashes

[Philhughesisbes]

6. Wade
7. Nev

Problems solved.

I actually would have Neville behind Wade as the second keeper in India.

 

[Tangles]

You mean backstop half way to the boundary?

 

[Philhughesisbes]

You mean backstop half way to the boundary?

 

[iamdavid]

B00nchm00rks batsmen outside the XI who are better batsmen than Wade:

• Khawaja
• D00lan
• Shaun Marsh
• Haddin
• David Hussey
• Joe Burns
• George Bailey
• Steve Smith
• Shane Watson
• Andrew McDonald

Et al.

I don't get your Wade-hate, he's 24-years-old and he's made 3000-odd FC runs at over 40, despite most of his career coinciding with a period of juicier Shield wickets, and two Test hundreds in important situations in games where nobody else has hit 3 figures.

His keeping is dross and he can be a bit careless and slash-happy at times, but he 's (with the exception of Hughes) the best under-25 batsman we've got.

 

[benchmark00]

I don't get your Wade-hate, he's 24-years-old and he's made 3000-odd FC runs at over 40, despite most of his career coinciding with a period of juicier Shield wickets, and two Test hundreds in important situations in games where nobody else has hit 3 figures.

His keeping is dross and he can be a bit careless and slash-happy at times, but he 's (with the exception of Hughes) the best under-25 batsman we've got.

My 'Wade hate' is born out of watching him slog his way to runs down the order. He's not a long term top six option. You quote his record in shield, which is ok, but you're quick to pan the other top order bats who are getting found out on juicy shield wickets because they actually bat when the wickets still are juicy!

Wade is fine when the ball is doing nothing, the bowlers are up and down and the pitch is true. But you pick a top six bat with the idea that you're going to be 4/80, not 4/400.

You can put a dozen young Australian bats at 6 and lower in shield cricket and they'll average as good or better than Wade. As a keeper batsman who bats 7 Wade is decent enough with the bat, as a stand alone bat at 6? No no no no no no and no.

The idea that we're going from Hussey to Wade just sends shivers down my spine.

 

[vic_orthdox]

I agree with some respect, and if Wade weren't handling the gloves then he'd have to do his work higher. I feel very similarly about Maxwell; for him to be close to getting games for Australia, he should be batting at five or so. But I do think that you don't give enough credit for the amount of times that Wade has dug the Bushrangers out of the ****; he's made a heap of runs for them when they've been in serious trouble, and not that many when they've been "4/400".

 

[benchmark00]

I agree with some respect, and if Wade weren't handling the gloves then he'd have to do his work higher. I feel very similarly about Maxwell; for him to be close to getting games for Australia, he should be batting at five or so. But I do think that you don't give enough credit for the amount of times that Wade has dug the Bushrangers out of the ****; he's made a heap of runs for them when they've been in serious trouble, and not that many when they've been "4/400".

Wade has made a shield ton coming in at 4/77 (score ended up 300, good knock from the looks), and one where he came in at 4/140 (360 odd, decent knock also) and the rest he has made when coming in at 300 odd and 400 odd.

 

[benchmark00]

Anyway, if Wade gives up the gloves I'd expect him to improve his batting, but he has to actually prove he has improved it. As it stands he's not good enough to bat in the top six for Australia as a batsman alone.

He has two options:

Improve his glove work and bat at seven or;
Give up keeping and become a batsman, and improve his batting so he is actually in the top six bats.


He should do the first. Until then, they should pick Haddin IMO.

 

[iamdavid]

I don't think 'slogging runs down the order' does him justice, at Perth he came in at 6/45 and made our only decent contribution, at the Gabba earlier this summer he came in at 4/40 for the Vics and played the standout knock of the match, at Dominica he came in at 5/150-odd and made our only hundred of the series. I cbf trawling through Shield cards but I suspect these performances aren't outliers. He bats low and he's a bit ungainly but he's still been mighty effective to date.

Kind've ironic that you labelled Haddin a better bat when he's such a prime example of cashing in on a solid foundation but going missing when the pressure's on, all of his Test hundreds came in innings in which at least one (and on one occasion three) of his colleagues hit tons.

 

[benchmark00]

But I'm not the one saying Haddin is in Australia's top six bats... So the relevance? Zilch.

 

[Prince EWS]

The idea that we're going from Hussey to Wade just sends shivers down my spine.

Agreed, however I get a similar feeling about all the alternatives as well. This is especially true with Watson giving up bowling as it means someone like Maxwell or Henriques is suddenly much more likely, both of whom I think are clearly worse batsmen than Wade at this point in time.

Wade's Test and FC averages flatter him when as a top six option when comparing him to the alternatives, no doubt. But I'm still not really convinced that someone like Khawaja or Doolan would be a better Test six and I really don't think Maxwell would be right now.

 

[Tangles]

Wade's Test and FC averages flatter him when as a top six option when comparing him to the alternatives, no doubt. But I'm still really convinced that someone like Khawaja or Doolan would be a better Test six and I really don't think Maxwell would be right now.

Agreed but the selectors seem determined that number 6 is an all-rounder so we have that 5th bowler option in the side.

 

[social]

Anyway, if Wade gives up the gloves I'd expect him to improve his batting, but he has to actually prove he has improved it. As it stands he's not good enough to bat in the top six for Australia as a batsman alone.

He has two options:

Improve his glove work and bat at seven or;
Give up keeping and become a batsman, and improve his batting so he is actually in the top six bats.


He should do the first. Until then, they should pick Haddin IMO.

Short memory

Haddin was ****ing awful for an extended period before Wade took his place

If he was to be replaced, Paine should be the guy

However, I wouldnt do so yet

BTW, Rod Marsh was faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar worse than Wade behind the stumps at a similar stage of his career and didnt turn out too bad

 

[Red]

BTW, Rod Marsh was faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar worse than Wade behind the stumps at a similar stage of his career and didnt turn out too bad

This is a really legit comparison imo.

However, Wade is the worst keeper Australia have played in my time of watching. He is decent to pace, but terrible to Lyon's spin. He should be batting at 7, and if his keeping costs us a game, he should be dropped.

 

[Spikey]

Haddin was ****ing awful for an extended period before Wade took his place

he also played with an injured elbow for most of that period.

 

[benchmark00]

Pick the bloke who doesn't follow domestic cricket at all.

 

[Johnners]

Pick the bloke who doesn't follow domestic cricket at all.

tbf to social, he probably missed it as he was out having dinner with the selection panel at the time

 

[benchmark00]

Soooo good.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I don't much rate Haddin's keeping, but it's patently a cut above Wade's which is just woeful.

Wade looks like he actually has good reflexes, but his basic technique suggests someone who took up the gauntlets relatively late. He's wrong footed when the ball deviates after passing the stumps pretty much everytime. Doesn't clang them all, but has to work a lot harder to make what should be straightforward takes.

Think his batting definitely has potential tho. It was ultimately in a losing cause, but his 60-odd at the WACA was the only reason Oz were even in the third test versus the Yarps after the first innings.

Hideous end to it tho, but.

 

[Spikey]

tassie attempted to get wade to give up the gloves from memory (#notbetterthanpaine)