Brad Haddin appointed new fielding coach for Australia
What's the story?
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will serve as the new fielding coach for Australia's upcoming tour to Bangladesh scheduled to commence later this month. He joined the coaching staff after Greg Blewett vacated the post of the fielding coach.
Haddin stated that he is thrilled to work with the young group of players in the Australian team. He also mentioned that fielding is a crucial facet for Australia. Haddin's responsibilities will include training new players for executing world class fielding.
Drawing the importance of fielding from the history of Australian cricket he said, "I grew up in an era of players like Andrew Symonds and Ricky Ponting who gave Australian cricket a real identity in the standards of world-class fielding".
"They were the type of players who took it personally if the team wasn’t fielding well and that created a level for the rest of the group to aspire to", he added.
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Haddin proved to be a great asset for the Australian team as their wicketkeeper. He played 66 tests and 126 ODIs and stepped into the shoes of a mentor soon after his retirement. He has also worked with NSW as well as Australia's U-19 and U-17 squad.
Blewett, on the other hand, wanted to take a break this job. He wishes to work with the South Australian Cricket Association owing to his love for this sport in his home state.
The details
Haddin stated that he is looking forward to working with the team as he thinks that it will be challenging to induce the high standards of fielding that one usually expects from the Australian team. He knows that it includes a lot of hurdles but he is keen on taking the job and bringing the best out of it.
One of the jobs in the coach's role will be to train the wicketkeepers. Haddin is eager to train with them on the sides and assist them in raising the standards of wicketkeeping.
According to the reports, both Haddin and Blewett are with the Australian team in a two-day camp that will host training sessions for the Invincibles ahead of their tour to Bangladesh.
What's next?
Haddin will take over the role of High-Performance Coach and train the players for fielding ahead of their Test series against Bangladesh. Cricket Australia has roped in for the job till 2019.
Author's take
During his playing days, Haddin took over the job of wicketkeeping immediately after Adam Gilchrist.
Haddin slipped into those shoes quite comfortably, and performed exceptionally well - evidence of his ability to take up a job and perform wonders.
In this case, he will be taking over from Blewett and it is expected that he will replicate the deed and perform wonderfully in his role as the fielding coach. Moreover, he has worked with the Australia 'A' squad which ensures that he has enough experience to don this hat.
He will have Darren Lehmann as his head-coach and this decision serves to be mutually beneficial for both the Australian Cricket team and Haddin.