Brad Haddin’s form did not warrant a recall, Australia selector Rod Marsh said © Getty Images
Australia selection chief Rodney Marsh said Wednesday he had no option but to leave wicket-keeper Brad Haddin out of the third Ashes Test against England at Edgbaston. Haddin, the vice-captain, has been overlooked in favour of the younger Peter Nevill after the 37-year-old pulled out of the second Test at Lord’s to be with his sick daughter Mia. Nevill, 29, took seven catches at Lord’s and made 45 during an impressive Test debut at Lord’s as Australia thrashed England by 405 runs to level the five-match Ashes series at 1-1. Live Cricket Scorecard: England vs Australia, The Ashes 2015 3rd Test at Edgbaston , Day 1
Although both keepers played against Derbyshire in last week tour match, it was Nevill who was behind the stumps, with Haddin, again available for Test selection, playing as a batsman only. Marsh — one of Australia’s greatest wicket-keeper/batsmen and coach Darren Lehmann, the two on-tour selectors, opted to stick with Nevill for the third Test, a decision which led to intense criticism from several former Australia internationals including Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Shane Warne and Ian Healy.
But Marsh told the cricket.com.au website on Wednesday — the first of the third Test — that Haddin’s form did not warrant a recall. ”He’s a fantastic player with a fantastic attitude but he’s averaging 15 in his last 12 Test matches,” said Marsh. READ: All not over for England after Lord’s loss, feels Ian Botham
“We needed runs down there, he didn’t keep well –- and he’ll admit that –- at Cardiff (where England won the first Test by 169 runs) and the new boy did very, very well at Lord’s, so in my way of thinking, we didn’t have an option. It’s very hard to change a winning side.”
Former Australia captain Ponting, who played 168 Tests, was unimpressed after current skipper Michael Clarke confirmed Haddin’s omission on Tuesday. READ: Michael Clarke warns Jonathan Bairstow of tough Australian challenge ahead
“I am disappointed with the decision to leave Brad Haddin out of the Test team for Edgbaston,” he said in a column for The Australian newspaper. He made the only and right decision to be with his daughter Mia who was very ill in hospital and missed that match.
“I know it would have been a hard call for him, he has been a single-minded and determined servant of Australian cricket, but he rightfully put his family first and has paid the price for it.”
Haddin’s daughter reportedly suffers from neuroblastoma — a rare form of cancer that attacks children aged five years or younger.
‘Gone through hell’
Both Hayden and Warne questioned the worth of Australia’s ‘family-first’ policy in the light of Haddin’s omission at Edgbaston, with Hayden especially outspoken. READ: Alastair Cook backs Ian Bell to come good at No.3 at Edgbaston
“After the hell he’s gone through it is outrageous that Brad Haddin hasn’t gotten his spot back for the third Ashes Test,” former opening batsman Hayden wrote in a column for news.com.au.
“What kind of precedent do the selectors want to set?,” he added. It doesn’t say much for the family-first policy if Brad puts his family first and all of a sudden he’s out.”
Clarke said 66-Test veteran Haddin would have played at Lord’s if available and leg-spin great Warne, insisted, while commentating on television at Edgbaston, that he should have been selected for the third Test.
“If you’re going to have that ethos in the Australian cricket team that family comes first, and you’ve got a real issue with your family and decide to miss a Test match because of family reasons, to then get left out of the next Test match and (selectors) go with Nevill, I don’t think is correct,” Warne said. READ: Clarke confirms selectors’ decision to drop Brad Haddin for 3rd Ashes 2015 Test
Healy, like Marsh regarded as one of Australia’s best wicket-keepers, said Haddin should have a chance to “redeem” his Cardiff display.
“Then maybe at the end of the series — or when he doesn’t redeem himself — then we can move to Nevill,” Healy told Fox Sports.
Haddin retired from one-day international cricket after helping Australia win the World Cup this year and his omission from the Test team could signal the end of his Australia career.