Matthew Wade

When Adam Gilchrist announced his retirement from international cricket, Matthew Wade was tipped to be his ideal replacement as he has been churning out runs consistently at the domestic circuit and was also a safe wicketkeeper behind the stumps. However, his life could have been totally different had he not recovered from a deadly disease pretty early on in his career. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to undergo two sessions of chemotherapy. He came back with a bang and went on to represent Australia in the U-19 World Cup in 2006. 

He was quite impressive behind the stumps and also played some crucial knocks which eventually paved the way for his debut in List A cricket. Wade was picked to play for Tasmania during the 2006-07 Ford Ranger Cup but was part of the playing XI only once. However, he soon realized that Tim Paine was the preferred option there and he had to warm the benches on most occasions. He then decided to move to Victoria in the 2007-08 season and in a short span of time he became the 1st choice wicket-keeper. 

The Tasmanian continued to impress in the Sheffield Shield and also made his presence felt in the limited-overs matches. He has always been a sensational striker of the ball which has always worked for him. On the back of some consistent performances, Wade finally managed to break into the Australian team for the T20I series against South Africa in late 2011. He made his ODI debut against India early next year and responded with a brilliant 67 on debut. 

The Hobart-born was picked for the Australian Test side for the tour of the West Indies as a back-up to Brad Haddin. He finally made his debut when Haddin pulled out of the tour citing personal reasons. He made an immediate impact with the bat scoring a brilliant 106 in the final Test. He continued to impress with the bat and scored his 2nd Test century against Sri Lanka. However, time and again his wicket-keeping abilities were questioned and he had to give up his place when Haddin returned. 

Wade never really managed to cement his place in the side and was in and out of the team on several occasions. When Haddin retired, Peter Neville became the preferred keeper and Wade had to wait in the fringes. He continued to be part of the ODI setup for a considerable amount of time. On the back of some poor returns, Wade was finally ousted from the ODI squad with Alex Carey getting a nod in. He also kept wickets for Australia in the 2019 World Cup. 

Wade finally managed to break into the Test team ahead of the 2019 Ashes as a premier batsman. He started the Ashes with a superb match-winning hundred at Birmingham and later ended the series with another crucial century, but it was good enough as Australia suffered a huge loss at the Oval. However, since then, Wade has been a regular feature in the Test format. The following year, when Australia toured South Africa, Wade was recalled for playing his first T20I, since 2016. Wade donned the keeper’s gloves and has been Australia’s wicket-keeper since then. In 2021, he replaced an injured Aaron Finch as the Australian captain for two T20Is against India. 

If Wade continues the same way, he could play a crucial part for Australia in the coming future. With his ability to play both in the top and middle order, he can be the x-factor for Australia in the upcoming multilateral events.

(As of June 2021)