The Australian batsman Peter Handscomb extend his support to the under pressure wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, who has been searching his form in the recent past ahead of the first Magellan Ashes Test starting from November 23.
The former teammates from the state team will face each other in a Sheffield Shield game when Victoria takes on Tasmania on Monday. It will be the last opportunity for Wade to cement his place in the Test squad.
Matthew Wade didn’t have a good time with the bat since his comeback last summer, as he averages just 20. The Tasmanian gloveman will fight it out with South Australia’s Alex Carey, Peter Nevill of New South Wales, and Western Australia’s Cameron Bancroft to play the first Ashes Test.
The 29-year-old Wade wasn’t able to impress the selectors, as he got out cheaply in their first two Sheffield Shield game.
However, the Victorian skipper Handscomb believes Wade is a much better batter than his recent scores suggest.
“I am a bit surprised with Matty because I know how well he can bat. Obviously, he’s under the microscope a little bit, so every little thing he seems to do wrong gets intensified which is a bit of a shame because he does do so much right as well. I’ve been able to see, for the last year, all the things that he has been doing right. Hopefully, for his sake, he can focus on that a little bit and try to get away from the negatives,” Handscomb added.
Recently, former Test wicket-keeper Ian Healy suggested selectors to give the next wicket-keeper a long and uninterrupted run.
Australia’s number six spot has also been a topic of debate in recent times, and dozens of names are revolving around the three Sheffield games ahead of the first Test. Jake Lehman has been one of the probable for the spot. However, Handscomb feels players should be judged on their career.
“Jake’s obviously a very, very good player as he went out there and basically made two hundred, so that’s a positive sign. But there are guys that have been scoring runs for three or four years. Ultimately, you want someone that’s going consistently and, if they’re only going to be judged on these three games, as opposed to what they’ve done throughout their career, that can be a bit tough,” Handscomb, who had a brilliant last 12 months concluded.
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