‘Have enough games to stake claim for Ashes berth,’ says Haddin

SYDNEY - Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin believes he will have ample opportunity to regain his place in the national squad before the upcoming Ashes series after recovering from an elbow injury.

Haddin, 32, hasn’t played since the World Twenty20 final against England in Barbados last May.

The 32-year-old missed Australia’s matches against Pakistan in England and the current tour of India due to the elbow tendon injury, but is confident of proving his fitness in match conditions.

However, in his absence, Tasmania’s Tim Paine performed well in England and now has the chance to consolidate his position in India.

Haddin expects to have a brief hit-out in a Sydney grade game this weekend, before leading NSW against Victoria in a second XI match beginning at Blacktown next Monday.

Australia doesn’t play its first international of the season at home until a T20 game against Sri Lanka in Perth on October 31, while the much anticipated five-Test series against England commences in Brisbane on November 25.

Haddin could play one Shield game and several one-day matches before the first Sri Lanka international, but could appear in as many as four Shield fixtures before the first Ashes Test.

“There’s quite a lot of games leading up to the Ashes, so from a workload point-of-view, I’m not too concerned about the amount of cricket I’m going to get. There’s definitely enough cricket heading into the Ashes,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Haddin, as saying.

Haddin is confident his elbow will stand-up to the rigours of regular cricket following his four-month break.

“It’s a relief, it’s obviously been a long time out of the game, so I’m actually looking forward to having a bit of a hit on Saturday and seeing how things go and hopefully progressing to the second XI game. At this stage everything is going in the right direction,” Haddin said. (ANI)