Matthew Wade retires from International Cricket

Australian cricketer Matthew Wade announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday after a distinguished 13-year career. The 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman played a total of 225 international matches, including 36 Tests, 97 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 92 T20 Internationals. 

Wade was notably part of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2021, where he played a crucial role in the semi-final against Pakistan, scoring an explosive 41 runs off 17 balls. 

Wade’s international journey began in 2011, and he quickly established himself as a versatile player. He amassed 1,613 runs in Tests, with four centuries and a highest score of 117 during the 2019 Ashes series at The Oval. In ODIs, he scored 1,867 runs at an average of 26.29, while in T20s, he contributed 1,202 runs with a strike rate of 134.15. His leadership skills were recognized when he captained the T20 side from December 2020 to February 2024.

Reflecting on his retirement, Wade acknowledged that the decision had been on his mind for several years, particularly after Australia’s early exit from the recent T20 World Cup. “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,” he stated. 

Post-retirement, Wade will not step away from cricket entirely; he is set to become an (unofficial) assistant coach for the Australian team during the upcoming T20 series against Pakistan. Additionally, Wade plans to continue playing domestically in Australia’s Big Bash League with the Hobart Hurricanes and participate in other franchise leagues around the world.

He expressed excitement about this new chapter, stating that coaching has been a goal for him for some time: “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.”