Matthew Wade retires from international cricket, becomes Australia coach for Pakistan series
Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade announced his retirement from international cricket, ending 13 years.
Matthew Wade becomes wicketkeeping and batting coach after retirement
Although he will continue to play domestic and franchise cricket, Wade will also transition into a coaching role, taking over as Australia’s wicket-keeping and running backs coach. His first coaching assignment will be the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan.
Wade’s career was marked by resilience and adaptability. He often finds himself competing for a place in the Australian team in all formats, but has finally cemented his place as a key player in the T20I side. His important contributions to Winning Australia 2021 T20 World Cupespecially his game-winning performance against Pakistan in the semi-final, highlighted his ability to perform under pressure.
Despite his impressive performances in the India tour and the 2024 T20 World Cup, the selectors made their intentions clear by not picking Wade for the recent UK tour. The 36-year-old has represented Australia in 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20Is, scoring 1613 runs, 1867 runs and 1202 runs respectively.
UPDATE: Nathan Ellis, Spencer Johnson return as Australia field T20I squad for home series against Pakistan
“I want to thank all my Australian teammates, staff and coaches”: Wade
Speaking about his retirement, Wade said, “I was well aware that my international days might end at the end of the last T20 World Cup. My international retirement and coaching has been an endless conversation with George [Bailey] and Andrew [McDonald] six months ago.
“Coaching has been on my radar for the past few years and thanks to the great opportunities I’ve had, I’m very grateful and excited.
“I will continue to play in the BBL and the odd franchise league in the summer months but in terms of those commitments as a player I am investing heavily in my training.
“As my international career comes to an end, I want to thank all my Australian teammates, staff and coaches. I enjoyed the challenging riding as it can be at the international level. Without the good people around me, I would never have come out of myself the way I did.”
“I also thank my family, my mother, father and sister for the many hours they have put in over the years to take me to games and training.
“Finally for Julia and the children. I can’t thank them enough for their sacrifices so that I can continue to pursue my dreams. There are no words to describe how grateful I am to them, none of this would have happened without their support.”
UPDATE: Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi return as Pakistan field their squad for white-ball series against Australia
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