Will Wade succeed Haddin as wicket-keeper in Test arena?

Melbourne, Apr 26(ANI): Australian chief selector John Inverarity faces a gut-wrenching decision in deciding whether Matthew Wade should succeed Brad Haddin at the Test level.

He has already taken over from Haddin in the Twenty20 and ODI teams, and has now mounted a compelling case for selectors to hand him the wicket-keeping job in Tests, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

His maiden Test century, which is first by Australian in the ongoing series against the West Indies, has dramatically altered the landscape in Australia's wicket-keeping stakes.

In a game where both sides have struggled to score anywhere near three runs an over, Wade smashed his last 84 runs off only 74 balls.

"That's generally the way I play. I know that if I can get myself in for long enough, that I can make it up towards the end if I'm batting with the tail," he said.

Wade has also won over West Indies skeptics, who earlier believed he was incapable of having such a major impact on a game.

"I think he has developed as the whole series has gone on.In the one-days he struggled a bit, certainly with [off-spinner] Sunil Narine on some of the turning pitches. I don't think we believed he'd necessarily be a problem, but we certainly saw the best of him today and he played very well," Windies assistant Toby Radford said.

Captain and selector Michael Clarke had earlier backed Haddin to reclaim his Test berth next summer, but there are four other selectors who will decide the wicketkeeper's fate.

Wade's performance in limited-overs campaigns abroad will also play a large part in deciding his berth in the squad, the report said. (ANI)