Test pressure more than expected: Wade

Updated December 20, 2012 17:27:14

The pressure of being Australia's Test wicketkeeper has exceeded Matthew Wade's expectations, but he says if he dwells on his mistakes, it will eat him up.

Wade, about to play a Test at his adopted MCG home ground for the first time, starting on Boxing Day against Sri Lanka, will enter the match under plenty of scrutiny after some recent mistakes.

A missed stumping off Graeme Smith and a dropped catch off Faf du Plessis cost Australia dearly in the drawn Adelaide Test against South Africa.

The gloveman, who turns 25 on Boxing Day, again missed a stumping chance, off Nuwan Kulasekara, in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Hobart.

While there are no suggestions Wade's spot is under question, his predecessor Brad Haddin has been keeping the heat on with strong form at domestic level.

But the seven-Test player said the pressure he felt within himself not to let his country down was greater than from any outside source.

"I'm disappointed. I don't need to read what's printed or what's said in the media to get disappointed or for me to be thinking about my glovework," Wade told reporters at the MCG on Thursday.

"You can't miss chances behind the stumps - it's as simple as that, especially in Test cricket.

"I'm thankful this one (in Hobart) didn't cost us as much as what it did in Adelaide."

Wade blamed his missed opportunities on concentration lapses.

In an interesting insight to the pressure he feels, he said not eating enough during Tests because of his nerves could have contributed.

"Once the moment's gone, you think 'was I there, 100 per cent?'.

"That's the question you keep asking yourself," he said.

But the Tasmanian native said while his errors had come closer together than he would have liked, all keepers let chances slip sometimes and it was counter-productive reviewing his mistakes too heavily.

"If I'm going to dwell on that, it's going to eat me up, so I've got to look forward at ways to improve," he said.

Having played his first three Tests in the West Indies, he said the extra pressure playing at home had struck him this summer.

"It gives me so much more respect for people who have been playing Test match cricket for 10 or 15 years and been doing it day in, day out," Wade said.

"It's an amazing achievement to think Ricky Ponting played 160 Test matches.

"It seems a long way when you've played seven, but I'm sure he didn't think he was going to play 160."

AAP

Tags: sport, cricket, melbourne-3000, vic, australia

First posted December 20, 2012 17:19:48

View the original article here

Black Caps under pressure as Windies strike

Updated July 29, 2012 09:46:07

New Zealand was up against it at stumps on the fourth day of its second Test against West Indies in Antigua after two breakthroughs for the hosts left the Kiwis at 3 for 199, just 28 runs ahead.

Looking to erase a 171-run first-innings deficit, opener Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum strove manfully to move the Black Caps towards positive territory but both fell after taking the tourists to 1 for 170 at one stage in the final session.

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine, who pulled out a maiden five-wicket Test haul in the first innings, made the first breakthrough in the second innings after trapping Daniel Flynn lbw for 20 in an early blow for the Kiwis.

But thereafter Guptill, who just missed a century in the first innings, and McCullum piled on the runs before falling for 67 and 84 as Narine and Kemar Roach claimed their respective scalps.

Guptill and McCullum had put on 123 for the second wicket before spinner Narine had opener Guptill caught by Assad Fudadin at short leg.

Kemar Roach then bowled McCullum to leave nightwatchman Neil Wagner on four not out with skipper Ross Taylor on 11.

West Indies had earlier made the Kiwis' opening tally of 351 look modest as they made 522 all out with skipper Darren Sammy instrumental in helping his compatriots to pass the 500 mark for the first time since Mumbai last year.

Sammy helped himself to a six over deep midwicket to bring up his third Test half-century before falling next ball to Daniel Vettori.

They reached the mark when Narine hit a boundary off Vettori before getting himself run out two balls later.

It then fell to Doug Bracewell to end the West Indies' first innings as he trapped Ravi Rampaul lbw for one before Guptill, who scored 97 in the first innings for the New Zealanders, and Flynn padded up to start chasing down the target.

Although Guptill and McCullum made light of the loss of Flynn their own demise suggested the West Indies looked the likelier victor.

AFP

Tags: sport, cricket, antigua-and-barbuda

First posted July 29, 2012 09:43:19

View the original article here