Matthew Wade Retires From International Cricket; To Delve Into Coaching

Matthew Wade, Australia keeper-batter, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 38. Matthew Wade has been a regular member of the Australian white-ball team since 2011, and he also leads the team in the shortest format.

Despite his retirement, Wade plans to continue playing for domestic teams. He will play for Tasmania in Australia’s domestic circuit and the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League for the next two years.

The lower-order batsman will also coach the Australian national cricket team. Matthew Wade will join Andre Borovec’s support staff for the upcoming T20 series against Pakistan.

Matthew Wade played for Australia in all three formats, including 36 Tests, 97 One-Day Internationals, and 92 Twenty20 Internationals. In October 2011, he made his international debut against South Africa in a T20I.

His last game was a T20I against India in June as part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. In his short Test career, the left-hander scored 1613 runs, including four tons and five half-centuries.

Matthew Wade is regarded as one of the top finishers for the team in ODIs and T20Is. He scored 1867 runs in 83 ODIs, with an 81.60 strike rate. In T20Is, he scored 1202 runs in 68 innings at a strike rate of 134+. His quickfire innings down the order helped Australia win several closely contested games.

“Coaching has been on my radar”- Matthew Wade

Throughout his 13-year career, the Tasmanian played crucial parts in various Australian victories, most notably the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where his performance was critical to the team’s success.

He will join Australia’s coaching team for the next T20 series against Pakistan, led by Andre Borovec, and will remain for the ODI series, which begins in Melbourne next week.

“I was fully aware my international days were most likely over at the end of the last T20 World Cup. My international retirement and coaching has been a constant conversation with George (Bailey) and Andrew (McDonald) over the past six months.

Coaching has been on my radar over the last few years and thankfully some great opportunities have come my way, for which I am very grateful and excited. I will continue to play BBL and the odd franchise league over the summer months, but around those commitments as a player I am investing heavily in my coaching,” Wade was quoted by cricket.com.au.

“I will continue to play BBL and the odd franchise league over the summer months, but around those commitments as a player I am investing heavily in my coaching. As my international career closes, I want to thank all of my Australian teammates, staff, and coaches. I enjoyed the ride, as challenging as it can be at the international level. Without good people around me, I would have never got as much out of myself as I did,” he added.

Australia is set to clash with Pakistan in an ODI and T20I series at home. The series will observe three ODIs and three T20I games.

The ODI series begins with the opening encounter on November 4 in Melbourne. The T20I series will commence with the first game on November 14 in Brisbane. Wade will join the Aussie Team as support staff during the T20I series.

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