Matthew Wade on Getting a Test Berth: “Every Time I Play for Australia I Feel Like I’m Playing for My Spot”

Matthew Wade hopes his performance with the bat in the recently concluded Ashes series is enough to seal a place in the middle-order in Tests. This is especially with regard to the upcoming cricket summer. However, he also stated that there are no selection guarantees.

Wade scored two centuries and finished as Australia’s third-highest run-getter in the series. As a result, Australia retained the urn on English soil. Unfortunately, they failed to win the final Test at The Oval where he scored a fighting 117 in the second innings.

“I’d like to think my performances over those five Tests will have me in the first Test, but you never know,” Matthew Wade said to the reporters on Thursday.

Although Australia retained the Ashes, they face selection issues at the top of the order. Especially after the poor form of the openers David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris. Even the other slots are not too set as Travis Head was dropped for Mitchell Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne replaced Usman Khawaja at No. 3.

However, there are 12 Sheffield Shield matches ahead of Australia’s next series against Pakistan from November 21 at the Gabba. Wade, however, is expecting to do good in the domestic series so that it would help him to retain his place in the Test squad.

“You never feel 100 per cent safe,” he said of his Australian spot. “Every time I play a game for Australia I feel like I’m playing for my spot. There’ll be plenty of press around the first few Shield games.”

“I got the two hundreds, that’s what everyone will speak about but I thought … the 30s I got in important times in the Leeds Test and the Manchester Test showed that under pressure I can stand up in the big moments,” he expressed.

He supported Test captain Tim Paine who came under the scanner for the captaincy and questionable DRS calls. He even faced criticism for his choice to bowl first in The Oval match, where England registered an easy win to level the series 2-2.

“Ashes cricket can be a pressure cooker and I thought he handled it really well. Within the group, he’s got our full respect,” Wade concluded.