Haddin ready to take gloves off for Australia

Brad Haddin is adamant he and fellow wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist can co-exist as Australia attempt to wrestle cricket's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy back from their Transtasman neighbours this month।

NSW keeper Haddin was yesterday named alongside Gilchrist in the 13-man Australian squad for the three trans-Tasman one day internationals starting December 14। The two keepers have only played together six times in Haddin's 25 international appearances, with four of those games chalked up on the recent tour of India।

Haddin emerged as one of Australia's stars in that series, finishing second in the team averages with 200 runs at 66।66, notching two 50's in his four innings।In all four of the matches they played together in India, Gilchrist wore the gloves and flamboyant Blues stroke-player Haddin was chosen as a specialist batsman because of the unavailability of captain Ricky Ponting.

"Keeping was always going to be my No।1, there's no worry about that, I'm a wicketkeeper first," Haddin said at the SCG yesterday.The last four to five years I've understood what works with my batting and started to put the performance on the board.

"So my name has been thrown up as a batsman and I've been lucky enough now to be included in the squad as a batsman।" Whilst the majority of his early international appearances came when Gilchrist was injured, Haddin was always determined to establish his place in his own right rather than act as a permanent back-up।

"It's something I've been working on for a long time now to be considered in the team on my own merits while Adam (Gilchrist) is still in the squad, it's been probably a four to five year process and it's finally come about।" Haddin heads in to the three-match clash with the Black Caps in good form, having notched 239 runs at 79।66 in domestic one-day cricket this season.

The 30-year-old said he was concentrating on performing well enough: "So the selectors find it irresistible not to pick me। "I've been lucky enough now to be included in the same squad as Adam and that's something I've worked very hard for, for a long time।"

Haddin said he hadn't honestly thought about the possibility of Test selection।He said the Australians were disappointed at losing the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy last year and expected that to be strong motivation for the upcoming series। "We really want that trophy back, we don't want our little cousins to be holding it for much longer, we'd much rather (have it) in our trophy cabinet," Haddin said.

Kirsten describes India job as real challenge

Newly appointed Indian cricket coach Gary Kirsten landed here on Friday for his first interaction with the players since taking up the high-profile job which he described as a "real challenge"।

The former South African opener, who accepted a two-year contract offered by the BCCI earlier this week, said he had played a lot of cricket in India but now that he was a part of the set up, he wanted to understand the Indian culture better।

"It's great to be back। I am looking forward to the work and am looking forward to meeting up with the guys. I've just come here to meet the players and really just to observe what they do," he told reporters at the airport.

The 40-year-old Kirsten, South Africa's batting mainstay during his playing days in the '90s, said he had not put any plan in place for the team yet।

"I m not putting any plans in place। I m just here to see how they play there cricket. I have played a lot of cricket against India but now I am a part of the set up, so now I need to see how they work and understand," he said.

The former South African player said it was a great honour to be associated with the Indian cricket।

"I am looking forward to it. It's a real challenge but it's a great honour too. I am looking forward to be a part of the Indian culture and specially from the cricket perspective how much the people love the game in this country.