Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade has shared that his team’s loss to India in the T20 World Cup earlier this year led him to consider retirement from international cricket.
India, captained by Rohit Sharma, defeated Australia by 24 runs in a crucial Group 1 Super Eight match at St Lucia. This victory enabled India to secure a place in the semifinals and eventually win the T20 World Cup title.
Wade, who announced his retirement on Tuesday, said, “It (the thought about retirement) probably hit home after we lost against India. That was when I really sat down and reflected that that was probably the end of my career. That was an emotional moment.”
Wade played down the order in T20 Internationals. He acknowledged that the emergence of Josh Inglis as a wicketkeeper capable of batting higher up the order also influenced his decision to retire.
“The time was right for ‘Ingo’ (Josh 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.”
Wade mentioned that he will not participate in the upcoming IPL mega auction, citing the challenge of being available for the entire event. He has been a part of Gujarat Titans for the past two seasons.
“I’m doing the ILT20 which will be straight after the BBL. I’m doing the (Abu Dhabi) T10, which leads straight into BBL. So, I’m going over to Dubai at the end of this month. I’ve got some Tassie (Tasmania) one-dayers that I’ve been playing as well. I won’t be in the IPL,” Wade said.
He will serve as Australia’s wicket-keeping and fielding coach during the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan.
