Matthew Wade announces his retirement from international cricket

The veteran Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade has announced his retirement from international cricket and he will join the coaching staff of the national Men's team, Cricket Australia announced the news on Tuesday. Wade, who made his international debut way back in October 2011, has played 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20Is for Australia with his last appearance coming in June 2024 at the T20 World Cup as well. However, Australia will play the all-important Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

Matthew Wade will continue to play domestic cricket for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes

Speaking of his retirement, Wade said, "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. As my international career closes, I want to thank all of my Australian team mates, staff and coaches. I enjoyed the ride as challenging as it can be at international level. Without good people around me I would have never got as much out of myself as I did," he further added.

"I also thank my family, mum, dad and sisters for the countless hours they put in over the years getting me to games and training. Lastly to Julia and the kids. I can't thank them enough for the sacrifices they have made for me to continue to pursue my dreams. No words can explain how grateful I am to them, none of this would have happened without their support," he shared again.

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However, he will join Australia's coaching staff for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan under Andre Borovec and he will be with the group for the ODI Series which will begin in Melbourne next week as well. Notably, he will continue to play domestic cricket for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League for at least the next two seasons as well.

"Congratulations to Matthew on what has been a wonderful international career" - Nick Hockley on Matthew Wade

Meanwhile, Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia CEO, said: "Congratulations to Matthew on what has been a wonderful international career during which his skill and versatility has made him an outstanding performer across all formats. I'm delighted he will add to his massive contribution by coaching the next generation of stars and also continuing to light up the Big Bash with the Hobart Hurricanes."

Ben Oliver, Executive General Manager, High Performance & National Teams, also said: "We extend our thanks and congratulations to Matthew on an outstanding international career. Matthew was a much-loved teammate in Australian teams across all formats over the past 13 years. His resilience and adaptability were a feature throughout his career, and he should be incredibly proud of the impact that he had at international level."

"We look forward to Matthew drawing on his wealth of experience as he transitions into coaching, and we wish he and his family the very best for the future," Ben concluded.