Matthew Wade set to retain his place for second Test against Bangladesh

Veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, Matthew Wade, is likely to retain his place in the playing eleven of the Australian side for the second Test against Bangladesh. The second Test of the two-match series kick starts on September 4 at Chittagong. The visitors had a shock defeat in the first Test and since then, there have been a lot of talks about the permutations that the Australian side will field in the second Test.

Matthew Wade, in particular, has been under the scrutiny for having underperformed thus far. He failed to notch up a big score in the tour of India earlier this year, and had dual failure in the Dhaka Test as well. However, the recent team practice session suggests that Matthew Wade will retain his place.

There were talks about Peter Handscomb, the part time keeper, taking over the gloveman duty. But Handscomb was seen practising his close-in fielding and Wade practiced with the gloves. In the meantime, head coach Darren Lehmann, as per the quotes in cricket.com.au, has maintained that nobody is guaranteed a spot in the side.

“Once we get there we will take a look at the wicket and the conditions and whether we change that or go with one quick or two quicks or three spinners (will be discussed). It really comes down to what we want to set our side up like for the second Test, and the wicket. It is not ruled out with any of the XI really. Of the 14 here, anyone could play,” quoted Darren Lehmann.

Ian Healy’s warning

Former wicket-keeper batsman, Ian Healy, also spoke on the same lines and warned the Australian team not to drop Matthew Wade. He feels that handing over the duty of a keeper to Handscomb will affect his batting. Also, on turning tracks, the bowlers need a proper wicket-keeper to take charge. He defended Wade citing that he has been playing in tough conditions.

“You risk compromising Handscomb’s batting, and I don’t imagine the bowlers would be filled with confidence knowing there’s a part-timer at the other end with the gloves on. I can’t ever remember in my career having to deal with that. You always expected plenty of turn in places like India or Pakistan, but the inconsistent bounce is a nightmare for a keeper,” quoted Ian Healy.

“It’s been tough for Wade this year given the pitches they’ve played on in India and now here in Bangladesh,” he added further.