Long-time wicket keeping stand-in Brad Haddin says he tries not to think too much about the how long he will have to wait before the day Adam Gilchrist decides to retire, because if he does it might do his head in.

However with Gilchrist now closing in on his 35th birthday, Haddin, 28, cannot be too far away from a longer stint than the permanent casual position he is presently employed in.

Against West Indies on Monday Haddin punched his way to a 76-ball 70, his best score for Australia and an innings that bore all the hallmarks of a staunch middle order fighter, as much in the fashion of Ian Healy as the free-hitting Gilchrist.

Haddin said that several years ago, some time after he made his limited overs debut for Australia in January 2001, he began to ponder life beyond Gilchrist, and his form suffered.

"I haven't thought too much about it, I probably thought a bit about it a few years back and it probably affected my performance, now I just concentrate on doing what works for me, if the opportunity arises then so be it," he said.

"Adam's a world class athlete and I do everything I can to prepare to play cricket for NSW or Australia, and if I spend too much time worrying about what Adam's doing, it'll affect my performance."

Along with not worrying too much about when he will be able to play more frequently, Haddin said he did not mind where he batted, despite rarely batting as low for NSW as he has for Australia.

"I'm not too fussed where I bat, I've batted many different spots with the state side, and with this team I fit in at seven at the moment," he said.

"My number one job is to wicket keep, and the opportunities to bat I take those wherever I can whether it be from one to 11, so I'm just enjoying having an extended run."

Haddin's glove work in the Malaysian tri-series has been nicely polished, and it is no coincidence that he recently spent some time working on his technique with Healy, who raised the standard of wicket keeping, particularly to spin, before Gilchrist redefined the batting component of a keeper's duties.

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