"His best batting position is in the middle"- Australia assistant coach on Matthew Wade
Australia's assistant coach Andrew McDonald believes Matthew Wade's best batting position is in the middle-order. On the back of injuries to Will Pucovski and David Warner, Wade was promoted to open the innings in the first two Tests against India.
Matthew Wade showed promise in the Melbourne Test as he scored a gritty 40 off 137 balls in the second innings. There were murmurs that the left-hander might continue as an opener. But McDonald, a crucial part of Australia's think tank, made it clear that they still see Matthew Wade as a middle-order batsman. The Australia assistant coach said:
"Is Wade and Warner the best opening combination for us at this point in time? I think a lot of that will depend on how Will Pucovski is. I would suggest (Wade)'s best batting position is in the middle ... and that's probably where he's best suited."
If Wade is shifted down the order, Travis Head's place could be in danger for the upcoming Test. Openers Will Pucovski and David Warner have been named in the Test squad for the third match of the Border-Gavaskar series.
'Tough as nails' - Tim Paine on Matthew Wade
Matthew Wade had opened the innings for Australia in limited-overs cricket, but he had never done it before in first-class cricket before the ongoing Test series against India.
Captain Tim Paine had praised Wade's willingness to open before the first Test and said:
"He's (Wade) certainly an option to open the batting. No doubt about that. Wadey in particular, we saw against New Zealand last year with the short-ball stuff, he's willing to put his body on the line for his team. We know he's as tough as nails and he'll do a good job no matter where he bats."
It remains to be seen now whether Australia will hand Will Pucovski his debut in the Sydney Test. If that happens and David Warner recovers in time, Wade could get back to his usual batting position in the middle-order.