Wade content if Australia days are over

Matthew Wade is content that his days representing Australia could be over and has given coach Andrew McDonald his blessing to begin thinking of Josh Inglis as his first-choice T20I wicketkeeper.

Wade has amassed 172 caps for Australia in limited-overs cricket and assumed the T20I captaincy when a hamstring injury struck Aaron Finch down during November’s home World Cup.

Finch retired from ODI cricket in September while David Warner’s Test future hangs in the balance. As a fellow member of the older guard, Wade has had pause to consider his own future this year.

The Tasmanian gloveman will turn 35 on Boxing Day and has already been phased out of the ODI side, with Alex Carey and Inglis both keeping wicket for Australia in the fifty-over format since Wade last played.

Wade said he would continue to put his hand up for T20I honours but was comfortable if McDonald and selection boss George Bailey picked Inglis ahead of him from the next T20I series, to be played in South Africa next August.

“I’m getting a little bit older and at times they’re going to have to look to the future,” Wade said after his Hobart Hurricanes’ loss to the Sydney Sixers on Thursday.

“I’m ready to go if they want to pick me, but if they want to go down another direction for a little period of time before the (2024) World Cup and have a look at Inglis, then I understand that as well.

“Josh has been waiting a long time to get opportunities to represent Australia and it hasn’t happened all that much for him.

“Nothing’s set in stone. I’d love to keep playing but if it doesn’t happen, that’s fine.”

In BBL commentary on Thursday night, Wade’s T20I teammate Adam Zampa said he had not given up on his own dream of one day playing Test cricket.

With one eye on the upcoming tour of spin-friendly India, Zampa ended a three-year Sheffield Shield hiatus to line up for NSW in November and throw his hat in the ring for a Test debut.

But the leg-spinner said he was not willing to cut back his white-ball workload in order to acclimatise to the longest form of the game and admitted that could preclude him from forging a Test career.

“I really love my role as the white-ball spinner. I love playing this much for Australia,” he told Fox.

“It’s probably going to be more of a campaign for the Indian Test series where maybe, if the wickets suit, then maybe I might be an option. But I haven’t played enough Shield cricket lately.

“Compromising my body, my time away from home, getting the balance right to play Shield cricket to potentially be the number one spinner for the Australian Test team is just not on my radar.”

With Nathan Lyon a lock for selection, Todd Murphy, Mitch Swepson and Tanveer Sangha will also be vying to line up as Australia’s second-choice spinner on the subcontinent come February.

But it was Ashton Agar who Zampa endorsed most heartily.

“Ash, with limited opportunities, his game has developed so much in the last few years. He’s probably the guy,” he said.