Australian Cricket - Crisis, What Crisis ??

[laj]

On Matthew Wade, I'm glad he hasn't been selected.

Let's remember, he's had a fair run at Test level (22 matches) and has an average of 28.6 from 38 innings (with the benefit of 7 not-outs, batting down the order). By way of comparison, Hanscomb averages 39 and he's not up to it either at the moment.

At Test level, Wade is a mile off being a batsman. Even if Paine were injured, I wouldn't pick him, as his keeping is ordinary. His recent Shield form, I reckon, just shows that playing some Test cricket can make you much better at a lower level.

Those days as a keeper, right now the focus is on batting. Makes a difference. His first stint in the Test Team he went well with two centuries and a numbers of 50's. average in the mid-30s. He lost the job because he was $hit with the gloves. Second  stint he did bat badly and sunk the average. Right now he's the in-form batsman in Shield cricket averaging over 50 last year and 63 this year. To me that is straight in the side, especially given some of the $hit we have selected before him.

We gone from aggressive, in your face type players to being too nice. We need the mongrel back. Warner, Wade and probably Pattinson will help that along. We are at our best when we are hard and very aggressive. Rather be arseholes and winning than nice guys losing all the time. As long as they leave the sandpaper in the dressing room as we don't want to be cheating either.