I am no Gilchrist, insists Haddin

AUSTRALIA wicketkeeper Brad Haddin claims any comparisons between himself and Adam Gilchrist would be an insult to his predecessor, writes Chris Stocks. Haddin made his Test debut last May after Gilchrist’s retirement, bringing an end to a glorious career which will see him go down as one of the game’s all-time greats. And Haddin, 31, knows many observers will be looking to compare him to Gilchrist.

He insisted: ‘Adam can be argued as one of the best players to have played the game so I think the comparisons are a little bit disrespectful to him because I’ve only just started.’ Gilchrist’s explosive batting, which saw him finish his career with a Test average of 47.60 after a decade in the Australia side, redefined the role of the keeper.

Yet Haddin says England’s fans, with the first Ashes Test in Cardiff just 19 days away, should not expect the same pyrotechnics when he comes to the crease this summer. ‘Adam is one of the greats who played the game,’ he said. ‘With the bat he can take the game away from you inside a session so I don’t think you’ll see any of that flamboyance from me.’ The New South Wales keeper spent seven years as Gilchrist’s understudy and when he did play, his work behind the stumps was found wanting in India.

But his form improved after a first Test century against New Zealand. He added: ‘It was a shaky start, you obviously get tested a lot more in this environment. I think in the last six months I’ve begun to understand what international cricket is like and I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable.’
Source {Metro}