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Matthew Wade, struggling with the bat, lets himself enjoy crowd chorus

Jon Pierik
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Matthew Wade was unable to deliver the innings he craved at the MCG on Thursday, adding scrutiny to his spot behind the stumps. 

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Wade, whose wicketkeeping has improved in his second incarnation in the Test side, has yet to deliver a run of solid scores at No.7 to rubber-stamp his spot since replacing Peter Nevill.

He has scores of four against South Africa in Adelaide, seven and one not out against Pakistan in Brisbane.and now nine in the Boxing Day Test. His latest dismissal clearly annoyed the Victorian captain, for he slashed out a ball outside off stump and was caught at slip off paceman Sohail Khan.

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Nevill's glove work was not the issue in his demise after the losing Test against the Proteas in Hobart, rather his inability to cement his spot with a big innings had been the problem. Wade now finds himself in a similar predicament but retains the support of skipper Steve Smith.

"I think he would like to be scoring some more runs but I think he is batting well in the nets. He is going through the right processes," Smith said on Thursday.

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"Hopefully, we can see some runs from him soon but I think he is in a good head space."

Speaking before play on Thursday, Wade acknowledged he needed a big score, heading into next week's third Test in Sydney and then what could be a career-defining tour of India.

"It would nice to come in and score runs straight away but I suppose, from the get go, I have been told to come in and make a presence on the ground. I feel I have done that on the ground with my wicket-keeping but I want to get some runs," Wade said on the ABC.

Wade, who enjoyed two centuries in his previous stint as a Test player, said he had been particularly disappointed to have failed in Brisbane.

"The second game I was probably more disappointed with my shot. I thought that was an opportunity to score big runs on a good wicket, the ball was slightly older as well," he said.

Former Test opener Chris Rogers has sensed Wade has yet to relax because there is still support for Nevill. Australian wicketkeeping great Ian Healy is one who felt Nevill should not have been axed.

"He (Wade) more than anyone knows how much scrutiny there is on his position. He comes into the side with people not agreeing Peter Nevill should have been dropped, and he (Wade) was reinstated," Rogers said.

"Every time he goes out to bat, he is swinging hard. I dare say he is worrying a lot about it ... he needs to enjoy the experience at the moment."

Wade claimed his 50th Test dismissal on Wednesday but understands he has work to do if he is remain the No.1 keeper. He had missed a stumping off Nathan Lyon in Brisbane and a stern test likely awaits on the spinning decks of India next year, where he struggled in what was his last series before he was axed in 2013.

"I feel like I am improving. Obviously, the hardest thing is to come out and perform every day in Test cricket, to put all the media and scrutiny behind you and try and focus on what you are doing, day in, day out," he said.

"I feel like I have made improvements in my wicketkeeping. I still would like to improve a lot more, obviously, but I feel like I am getting there."

Respected for his tactical nous, Wade has also had an important role in helping skipper Steve Smith and his deputy, David Warner.

"That is something I thought I could bring coming back into the team, to help Smithy out and, obviously, Davey who talks to the bowler [fielding at mid-on or mid-off] and then I can have some conversation with Smithy. It's something I feel I can bring to the table," he said.

On a lighter note, Wade already knows how valuable his voice has become in the "nice Garry" phenomenon which has swept the Gabba and the MCG.

Since his return, Wade has made his presence felt behind the stumps, most noticeably through his encouragement of Lyon, a confidence bowler who has not had the impact he would have craved in recent months.

The "niiiice Garryyy" chorus – Lyon's nickname is Garry, after the former AFL player and now commentator – has been regularly picked up on stump microphones when the off-spinner has ball in hand.

There was even a social media event named after Lyon on Boxing Day to set a world record for most people to chant "niiiice Garryyy" on the third ball of his first over but that was thwarted when he claimed a wicket.

Wade and Lyon have seen the lighter side of their partnership, with Wade joking they would go into business.

"He wants to go 50-50. We are going to start some bottle openers or something like that. I said I would take 60-40 – I think my voice is more important than his face," Wade said.

"It's awesome. It's something that has been quite fun, especially Brisbane was really loud and here as well."