Out of favour Haddin working with specialist batting coach to regain form

Melbourne, Feb 13(ANI): Out of favour wicket-keeper Brad Haddin is working with a specialist batting coach Mark O'Neill, saying that he has had a very productive week.

"I rested from the Shield game and had a good week doing a bit of maintenance work. I have been working with Mark O'Neill and it was a very productive week. I needed that time. Not going to Tassie with NSW gave me the chance to do that and to play cricket this weekend," Fox Sports quoted Haddin, as saying.

His statement came after he failed to score runs in two Sydney grade games over the weekend and has been replaced by Matthew Wade in the Australian squad for the first three one-day games.

Haddin, who averages 35 in Tests, appears to be unconcerned about speculation over his place in the side.

"I haven't heard from the selectors, but I am pretty comfortable with where things are at," he added.

Ian Chappell backed Haddin's selection in the Australian team in his Cricinfo column saying that if the selectors take both Haddin and Wade to the West Indies, it will give the younger keeper time to "acclimatise to international cricket".

"By the end of the Indian Test series, Haddin's glovework was much sharper, and his batting still has a destructive edge to it," Chappell said.

"While he wasn't keeping like a man whose time has come, he certainly does need to be more consistent. Even if the selectors can't convince Cricket Australia to take a second wicketkeeper to the Caribbean, Wade could be chosen as the extra batsman," he added. (ANI)