Veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade has officially called it a day from international cricket at 36. Wade, who made his debut for Australia in 2011, went on to represent his country in 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20Is. Wade was always behind the likes of Tim Paine and Brad Haddin during his early years, jostling for the wicketkeeper’s place before making his own in the T20Is and playing a massive role in Australia’s only T20 World Cup victory in 2021 in Dubai
“I’m officially retiring,” Wade, who retired from first-class cricket last summer, was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “It’s been an ongoing discussion for pretty much every tour or every World Cup that I’ve been on in the last three or four years.
“It’s been a really fluent conversation that I’ve had with George (Bailey, chief selector) and Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) over the last six months or since the last World Cup finished. Even leading into the last World Cup, we’ve been really open and had really great communication around where I’m at with my career.
“If we went into the last World Cup and I managed to get some runs and we won that, then things would look maybe a little different and maybe I’d keep going … it was just kind of an understanding from all of us,” Wade added.
Wade mentioned that the emotions really hit home after the loss to India in the T20 World Cup earlier in June in Saint Lucia when he sat down and realised probably that was the end of his career.
“It probably hit home after we lost against India. That was an emotional moment. The relationships that I’ve built, more over the last three years in that team – I really enjoy playing in that team, and I felt really connected to that playing group and that coaching staff,” Wade added.
Wade will continue to ply his trade for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes in Australia and other T20 opportunities across the world. Wade has already signed up with Sharjah Warriors for the International League T20 Season 3 in January 2025. The left-hander has also swiftly moved into coaching career after having completed his Level III coaching certificate.
Wade has been named as wicketkeeping and fielding coach for the T20 series against Pakistan next month as he will be working closely with Josh Inglis, who has made the T20 place his own in the last few months.
“The time was right for Ingo (Inglis) to come in. You can see what he’s done in the last (few months that) he’s been in the team as the No.1 ‘keeper. He was certainly ready to come in and take that role.
“They’re looking for maybe someone who can bat more top to middle order now as well and that suits him really well. So really comfortable and happy he’s got an opportunity now,” Wade added.
Wade amassed 4,682 runs for Australia across formats including four Test centuries and the only one in the ODIs while affecting 255 dismissals as a wicketkeeper.
Wade will be best known for being a team player as from starting out as an opener and a top-order batter, he transitioned rather smoothly into a middle-order dasher and a finisher with the T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final against Pakistan being his watershed moment. Wade smashed Shaheen Shah Afridi for three consecutive sixes to help Australia get into the final before the then five-time ODI World Cup champions finally got their hands onto the T20 World Cup trophy after beating New Zealand in the final.