Cricket: Haddin's retirement talk dashed

Brad Haddin is enjoying the best form of his career. Photo / Getty Images

Brad Haddin risked his career for his sick child
and now things are much happier

Rumours swirled around the Sydney Cricket Ground suggesting Brad Haddin would retire after the fifth Ashes test but nothing had changed as far as the player himself was concerned.

Haddin put his career on hold to help care for sick daughter Mia. Photo / Getty Images

Four times during this series Haddin had walked in at No7 in Australia's first innings with his team's position ranging between shaky and downright diabolical. Four times he responded with half-centuries that changed the momentum of the match and helped create Australian victories. Why change a winning formula?

Haddin's arrival at 97 for five in the first innings of the fifth test was the perfect stage for him to display again the ferocious and clinical counter-punching that has marked his performances since returning to the team six months ago.

When he departed just two hours later, he had 75 beside his name, a century stand with Steve Smith to his credit and a total of 225 for 6 for the team to build on.

Haddin stood down from test cricket last year because his baby daughter was diagnosed with cancer, knowing the decision could end his career. He was 34, a capable replacement in Matthew Wade was in the wings and he did not know if daughter Mia's battle would be successful or how long her treatment would be.

Two things came from the illness. It provided Haddin with a perspective there are significantly more important things than cricket. Equally, it gave him the resolve to make the most of any bonus opportunities that came his way. Mia is now in remission; her father critical to Australia's Ashes triumph.

The rumours of retirement were understandable. Haddin is now 36 and facing the prospect of a tough three-test tour of South Africa in the spring before a nine-month void leading into the next assignment against Pakistan.

As he prepares to complete the most successful series of his career and move closer to a rare Ashes clean sweep on his home ground, there could barely be a better way to exit test cricket.

But Haddin is no romantic, enjoys playing the game for its own sake and feels no compulsion to take part in a fairy tale.

"Brad has been outstanding," Smith said after his own valuable 115. "I could just take a back seat and watch him go. The way he played his shots today was brilliant. He has come in in tough circumstances and has tried to switch the momentum in the game. He has done that on numerous occasions this series."

Haddin has been so effective that he is duelling with speedster Mitchell Johnson to be the most influential player in the series. Johnson had lifted his series tally to 32 wickets while his menace with new ball and old has had a discernible impact on England's batting.

Yet his bowling would have been significantly less incisive without substantial totals to defend and that is where Haddin has been so valuable. He has gone past 50 in six of his seven innings during this series.

The most remarkable feature of his batting however, has been his capacity to produce half-centuries from positions of adversity in each of Australia's first innings - where his scores have been 94, 53, 55, 65 and 75.

The brutal, positive nature of his knocks has been as crushing for England as the volume of runs, as evidenced by England's batting collapse - all out for 155, with the triumphant Australian bowlers sharing the wickets.

At stumps, even though David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and Smith failed, opener Chris Rogers was there on 73 not out. Australia ended the day 311 ahead with six wickets standing. The 5-0 whitewash seems distinctly, inevitably possible.

- The Independent