Haddin omission lacked clarity - players' chief

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin understood he was not being rested from one-day duty after a poor test series against India and selectors could have handled his omission better, according to the players' association chief Paul Marsh.

Haddin was left out for the first three matches of the triangular series against India and Sri Lanka, with chief selector John Inverarity citing the need for the player to be "rested" for future international duties.

But he was overlooked again in a 14-man squad named this week for the next two matches against Sri Lanka on Friday and India on Sunday, sparking accusations from former and current players of mixed messages from the selection panel.

His replacement Matt Wade has retained his spot in the squad after scoring one and 16, following a match-winning half-century on his one-day debut against India in the series-opener in Melbourne.

Australian Cricketers' Association chief Marsh said Haddin, at least, was aware of where he stood.

"He told me they had communicated with him that they wanted to try out Matthew Wade," Marsh told Reuters in a phone interview.

"It seems a lot of the talk stemmed from the 'resting' line.

"From a player's perspective, we're satisfied that it was handled OK. It could have been handled better from a public perspective."

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh described Haddin's "enforced rest" as confusing, while the wicketkeeper's team mate Shane Watson said he felt sorry for him about being in "limbo".

Local media have lined up to criticise the newly-minted selection panel, which replaced the previous one led by Andrew Hilditch last year following a team performance review.

The Argus review, launched in the wake of Australia's humiliating 3-1 loss in the Ashes series to England on home soil last year, criticised the former panel for confusing selection decisions and for failing to make adequate succession planning.

Haddin will play a domestic Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales this week as he strives to regain his spot in the team.

"He's got a week where hopefully he's not answering those questions anymore and he can get a really good Sheffield Shield game under his belt, score some runs, take some catches, and come out of this week a lot happier guy than he is at the moment," former test skipper Ricky Ponting told reporters.