T20 World Cup: Matthew Wade to be Australia's back-up captain?
Wicket-keeper-batter Matthew Wade will likely be appointed the captain of Australia if Aaron Finch is unavailable during the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup. A report in the Sydney Morning Herald stated that the Tasmanian could be promoted. Wade last led Australia in the five-match T20I series against Bangladesh last year. Notably, he does not have a national contract at the moment.
Why does this story matter?
As stated, Wade still eyes a national contract from Cricket Australia (CA). The left-handed batter struggled to cement his spot in white-ball cricket before the 2021 T20 World Cup. A match-winning knock in the semi-final against Pakistan brought him back in contention. Wade has been in terrific form of late. He struck at a staggering 202.27 in the concluded T20I series in India.
What about Aaron Finch?
Finch recently retired from One-Day Internationals. However, he will continue to lead Australia in T20I cricket. Under him, Australia will begin their title defense at the T20 World Cup. Wade's services as captain could be of use in case Finch is unavailable for the tournament.
A look at Wade's numbers
Wade has represented Australia in 36 Tests, 97 ODIs, and 66 T20Is. He has 1,613, 1,867, and 917 runs in the three formats, respectively. The left-handed batter has a strike rate of 133.28 in the shortest format. As far as T20 cricket is concerned, Wade owns 3,861 runs from 197 games. He also has a ton in the format.
