Langer’s empathy for frustrated Wade

Australia coach Justin Langer has expressed his empathy for Matthew Wade after the former Test wicketkeeper again vented frustration at being overlooked for a recall this week and suggested batsmen around the country are uncertain about what the criteria for national selection is.

Wade's golden summer with the bat continued Monday night at Adelaide Oval, blazing an unbeaten 84 from just 49 balls as the table-topping Hobart Hurricanes gained a slice of revenge with victory over reigning champions Adelaide Strikers in a rematch of last season's final.

With 1,081 runs across all formats, the left-hander has scored more domestic runs than any other player this summer and remains the JLT Sheffield Shield's most prolific batter (with 571 at 63.44) over the KFC BBL break.

But it was Kurtis Patterson who was the surprise addition to Australia's Test squad this week after the NSW middle-order man posted unbeaten tons in both innings of a tour match against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

Selection chief Trevor Hohns explained Patterson’s call-up by saying: "We have been asking batters around the country to score hundreds if they want to be considered for selection, and given Kurtis' consistent performances for NSW and his two unbeaten centuries in last week's tour match against our upcoming opponent, Sri Lanka, we believe he deserves to be added to the Test squad."

Wade, who has previously said he wants to be considered as a specialist batter at national level after playing 28 Tests as a keeper, said the selection rationale had left him cold.

"I get told one thing, then I see the comments in the paper the next day about Kurtis piling runs on and getting picked," Wade told reporters, after the Hurricanes notched their eighth win from nine games on Monday night.

"I don't know, it's a little bit frustrating. I'm just going to do what I do, I don't think it's going to change. I'm not sure what's going on.

"It's just a little bit frustrating that on one hand you can say one thing about one player and on the other hand (say) it's why someone's getting picked. It's just a little bit frustrating. 

"I don't think I'm just talking for myself, I think all players around the country … if the criteria is hundreds and scoring runs, then pick the guys that are doing it. 

"If that's not the criteria, then let us know."

Speaking on Melbourne radio station SEN on Tuesday, Langer said he sympathised with Wade’s predicament. 

“I watched him play last night and he played brilliantly well,” Langer said.

“He’s played fantastically and he’s going great guns in first-class cricket. I feel like giving him a hug – I’ve been in his shoes. It’s really hard.

“You want to be in (the Australian team) and it’s playing out in the media. It’s more my style not to play things out in the media, more to have conversations (one-on-one).”

Wade has been integral to the Hurricanes’ success this season – he and opening partner D'Arcy Short now occupy the top two spots on the Big Bash's run-scoring charts – but the Hurricanes skipper said he would have missed a BBL match to play the tour game against Sri Lanka if given the opportunity. 

In explaining Wade’s omission for the Sri Lanka series, Hohns said earlier this month: "He's playing as a wicketkeeper-batsman for Tasmania and it just so happens we have a wicketkeeper-batsman in our Test side who is the captain (Tim Paine).

"If Matthew wants to be considered as a straight-out batsman it would be nice to see him batting a little higher up for Tasmania and that conversation has been had."

Wade told Fox Sports earlier this month that he'd be willing to give the keeping gloves up and bat higher up Tasmania's order in the Sheffield Shield in a bid to be considered for Test selection again.
But he stressed Monday that he'd since come to grips with his non-selection for Australia and clarified that he'll only do what Tasmania believe is best for their Shield team.

"Probably two weeks ago I was a little bit hung up on it and didn’t really know why I wasn't getting an opportunity. Now it doesn't really worry me too much," said Wade, who struck the second of his two Test tons against Sri Lanka in 2013. 

"I don't play cricket solely to play for Australia, I play cricket to win games for the Hurricanes and win games for the Tigers. 

"I've done that throughout my whole career. I've never been the guy who's played for individual accolades and if I start to do that now, it won't go well for me. 

"In terms of changing my position in the Tassie line-up – I'll bat wherever is best for the team. I'll (wicket)keep if that's what's best for the team. I'm not putting myself in front of the team success."

Patterson, meanwhile, is unquestionably a batsman in form with his unbeaten knocks of 157 and 102 against Australia's next Test opponents last week.

Adding to that, his record against the pink Kookaburra ball (which will be used for the day-night clash at the Gabba) is one of the best in the country; he has four hundreds and 715 runs at 65 in Shield games under lights.

Patterson's addition means eight batters will be jostling for six spots, with Joe Burns and Matthew Renshaw both earning squad recalls, while Will Pucovski is in line to play his maiden Test. Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh, who all played in the recent 1-2 series defeat to India, have all been discarded.

“He’s a terrific young person, he’s vice-captain of New South Wales. He’s been knocking on the door for the last few years, but probably the criticism has been he hasn’t been able to convert his fifties into hundreds,” Langer said of Patterson.

“He’s done that well this season, he was on the last Australia A tour and just got a hundred in both innings against Sri Lanka. 

“Hopefully a bit of common sense has prevailed and we’re rewarding him for it.

“We’ll make the decision on the final XI either tonight or tomorrow, I’d say.”

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Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha

Jan 17-19: Tour match, CA XI v SL, Hobart (D/N)

Jan 24-28: First Test, Gabba (D/N)

Feb 1-5: Second Test, Canberra