Shane Watson celebrates after dismissing Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan in Hobart yesterday. Source: AFP
FORMER wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is a shock contender to return to the Test side as a specialist batsman if Australia captain Michael Clarke is ruled out of the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka because of injury.
No sooner were stumps drawn at Bellerive Oval yesterday with Sri Lanka 2-65 chasing an improbable 393 to win their first Test on these shores than Clarke was whisked away for scans on the right hamstring strain he suffered while batting in Australia's second innings run chase.
Clarke has captained Australia in its past 19 Tests, the first as caretaker for an injured Ricky Ponting, the remainder as skipper in his own right, and in the space of 16 months has also become the team's primary leader in deed.
Shane Watson - a man who admitted on his appointment to the vice-captaincy he had never had any significant captaincy experience - would likely be promoted to the top job.
Although Alex Doolan has been mentioned, and deservedly so after a string of solid scores this summer highlighted by his unbeaten 160 for Australia A against South Africa last month, there were thoughts that his Tasmanian captain George Bailey might be brought in instead as an interim captain should Clarke withdraw.
The Australian selectors are known to think very highly of Bailey, which explains why they elevated him to Twenty20 captain, but coach Mickey Arthur all but ruled out the prospect of an "outsider" being brought into the squad.
"No, to be honest, I don't think so," he said. "It would be an ideal opportunity for Shane Watson to captain if Michael's ruled out.
"It would be a really good challenge for Shane.
"We'll learn a lot about Shane and his leadership ability. I'm confident he will come through it very well."
To lose Clarke for the last Test of 2012, the year in which he has averaged 106, would be a huge setback for this Australian team.
But the Australians have become accustomed to taking injury setbacks in their stride. Already Arthur has confirmed that Ben Hilfenhaus will miss the MCG Test - and possibly the Sydney Test in the new year as well.
That will open the door automatically to Mitchell Johnson, who was an unlucky omission from this Test after being the pick of the bowlers against the Proteas in Perth, but it also offers opportunities to Western Australia's Nathan Coulter-Nile and Tasmania's prolific wicket-taker Jackson Bird.
But while the bowlers nominated by Arthur last night were all predictable, or at least as predictable as can be in circumstances that see more than a half-dozen of Australia's leading pace bowlers all on the casualty list, it was the names he mentioned as possible batting reinforcements that caused genuine surprise.
"There's possibilities ... Haddin is one of them, (Rob) Quiney is one of them and certainly Usman Khawaja is right in the frame. Alex Doolan has played well so we'll have those discussions tonight. No clarity yet."
Until last night the only clarity that seemed to be in place around Haddin was that it was highly unlikely he would add to his current tally of 43 Tests. Matthew Wade has become entrenched as Australia's first-choice wicketkeeper since taking over in the Caribbean when Haddin was forced to return home for family reasons, and while there has been talk at times from the likes of Clarke and Steve Waugh that both players could be fitted into the Australian batting line-up, it seemed a little fanciful.
But Haddin has since scored 33, 73, an unbeaten 108 in his most recent Sheffield Shield innings and a whirlwind 59 for the Sydney Sixers against the Thunder last week in the Big Bash League.
Quiney, however, is worthy of another chance at Test cricket even though he scored a pair in his last Test in Adelaide against the Proteas. He had looked in exciting touch with the bat on debut in Brisbane before picking out Dale Steyn right on the boundary rope with a vicious pull shot that otherwise would have gone for six and he performed usefully in the field and as a fill-in bowler in his two Test appearances.
Khawaja has been applying consistent pressure on the selectors for a Test recall since switching to Queensland from NSW. Admittedly, he would like to scrub his last Shield scores, 0 and 8 against his old state in Canberra, but before that he was performing solidly with innings of 19, 26, 54, 54 and 138.
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