By Zainab Shafiq 
Australia’s interim T20 captain Matthew Wade says he was not striving for a leadership role on the tour of India, but is keen to be a senior figure in the side for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States next year although he is unsure if he will be the first-choice wicketkeeper.
“The relationships that I’ve got with [coach] Andrew McDonald and obviously [head selector] George Bailey and all the coaching staff around the Australian team and selectors, whatever situation I was going to be going over to India in it would have been in a senior role anyway,” Wade explained.
The announcement of Wade as the captain of Australia’s squad for the five-match series against India immediately following the ODI World Cup came as a surprise to some people around Australian cricket but it had long been in the works as the selectors manage the workloads of their senior players.
Australia do not currently have a permanent T20I captain with Mitchell Marsh filling the role in the recent South Africa series with great success, which was the first series since Aaron Finch’s retirement. Marsh is being rested from the series against India to prepare for the home Test summer.
Wade was Finch’s long-time vice-captain having led Australia in seven T20Is when Finch was injured, including in their final game of last year’s T20 World Cup against Afghanistan. But he was not initially selected for the South Africa series with the selectors to give Josh Inglis some opportunities with the gloves, with the intention of Wade returning against India. Wade did end up touring South Africa as an injury replacement for Glenn Maxwell but did not play.
Speaking the day after he helped guide Tasmania to what he described as his best-ever Sheffield Shield win against Queensland, making 105 in a fourth innings chase of 432, Wade said he had not expected to be named Australia captain again.
“I’ve never really strived so much for leadership,” he said. “I think you kind of look after your own backyard and those things kind of take care of themselves.
Matthew Wade and Josh Inglis have played together for Australia but Wade has always been the first-choice wicketkeeper.
Inglis has long been nipping at Wade’s heels in Australia’s T20 side and has already usurped Alex Carey as the No.1 ODI wicketkeeper-batter. Both men have been named in the squad to face India but Wade will be the captain and first-choice wicketkeeper. Wade said he was unsure though whether that would be the case for the T20 World Cup next year.
“We’ve got the T20 World Cup coming up, whether I’m the number one keeper there and play, whether that be that I go as a spare bat/keeper I’m not 100% sure. I don’t know if the selectors and the coaches are 100% sure.
“But I want to be there. I want to play. If it ends up being that No.7 role as the wicketkeeper, I feel like I’ve probably nailed that spot down in the last few years for the Australian T20 side. So fingers crossed I get the nod in that but if I don’t I’m really comfortable going and playing my role.”
Wade acknowledged the competition from Inglis for the wicketkeeper role and expressed his desire to contribute to the team’s success in any capacity. While Wade is set to be the captain and wicketkeeper for the series against India, the first-choice wicketkeeper position for the T20 World Cup remains uncertain. Wade’s primary focus is on being part of the team and playing his role effectively.
Wade was one of Australia’s heroes of the 2021 T20 World Cup triumph but he admitted on the eve of the 2022 edition in Australia that it could possibly be his last tournament in international colors. However, he has maintained his form and, more importantly, his hunger to keep playing at the highest level.
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