Matthew Wade, who loved playing football for years while his career was on the brink, eventually took a break from his 13-year, 225-game international career across all formats.

Wade, who played 36 Tests and 189 limited-overs matches for Australia, announced his retirement from international cricket. He will continue to play white-ball cricket for the Tasmanian and Hobart Hurricanes, as well as some overseas leagues.

Plans are already afoot for his post-football career, with the 36-year-old set to serve as Australia’s wicketkeeper and fielding coach for next month’s T20 series against Pakistan.

Wade played his last Test and ODI in 2021 and openly admitted that his T20I career could have been completed in the same year if not for his pivotal role in helping Australia win their first men’s T20 World Cup title in the UAE.

The wicketkeeper-batsman’s semi-final knock against Pakistan was his finest moment in the colours, and sees him retain the gloves for the ICC’s next two T20 events in 2022 and 2024.

But Australia’s exit in the Caribbean at the hands of eventual champions India earlier this year heralded the end.

“I’m officially retiring,” Wade, who ended his first-class career at the end of last summer, told cricket.com.au.

“This has been an ongoing debate at almost every tour or every World Cup I’ve been to for the last three or four years.

“It was a really flowing conversation I had with George (Bailey, chief selector) and Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) over the last six months or so since the last World Cup ended.

“Even going into the last World Cup, we were really open and had really great communication about where I was at in my career.

“If we had gone to the last World Cup and I had managed to make a few runs and won that, then maybe things would have looked a little bit different and maybe I would have gone on… it was kind of an understanding for all of us.”

Wade, who recently completed his Level Three coaching certificate and aims to become a head coach one day, has confirmed Josh Inglis to take over as T20I glove man. The duo will work together throughout the Pakistani series.

Born in Tasmania, Wade moved to Victoria in his youth and found himself tucked behind Tim Paine as first choice “cover back”. He won four Sheffield Shield titles in his adopted province, including two as captain, before returning to Apple Isle in 2017.

He made his T20I and ODI debut in the summer of 2011-12 and won the Baggy Green in Barbados in 2012 when Brad Haddin left for personal reasons. He made his maiden century in the third Test in Dominica, keeping Haddin out of the side until 2013.

Wade competed for gloves in all formats with Paine, Haddin and Peter Nevill in the following years before his breakthrough Sheffield Shield campaign in 2017-18 earned him a Test call-up as a specialist batsman for the 2019 Ashes.

He finished with four Test tons, two during the Ashes campaign and one in the ODIs, but arguably his finest moment came when he saved his side with a 17-ball 41 against Pakistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup semi-final. .

Left-hander Wade took the 7th spot for himself after that victory, complementing powerful right-handers Tim David and Marcus Stoinis with the ability to hit square goal. He also served as T20 captain 13 times between December 2020 and February 2024.

Inglis, on the other hand, has emerged as a different style of player in his duties in the side alongside or in place of Wade, being used more in the middle but also spending some time as an opener and number 3.

With two long-time T20 players saying they will leave the team after this year’s World Cup (David Warner also played his international final), Australia now have two years to recruit fresh faces ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. there is.

“It probably affected us after the loss against India,” Wade said. “That’s when I really sat down and thought, this is probably the end of my career.

“It was an emotional moment. The relationships I’ve built on this team over the last three years; I really enjoy playing on that team and I felt really connected to that group of players and the coaching staff.

“It was a real moment where I sat down and thought and I probably got a little emotional about the whole thing.

“Fortunately, I had been playing well enough the last couple of years that the team had to line up with Dave, I was going to bat seven, and they wanted me to continue in that position in the finishing role.

“It was the right time for Ingo (Inglis) to come in. You can see what he has done in the last few months when he has been in the team as the number 1 goalkeeper. He was definitely ready to come in and take on that role.

“Maybe now they are looking for someone who can bat in the higher and middle order and this suits him really well. He is really comfortable and happy to get an opportunity now.”

Australia v Pakistan limited edition series 2024

Australia ODI squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan ODI squad: Mohammad Rizwan, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faisal Akram, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

4 November: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT

8 November: Adelaide Oval, 2.30pm AEDT

10 November: Perth Stadium, 2.30pm AEDT

Australia T20 squad: Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

Pakistan T20 squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan, Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

14 November: Gabba, 7pm AEDT

16 November: SCG: 19.00 AEDT

18 November: Bellerive Oval, Hobart, 7pm AEDT

All matches are live and exclusive on Fox Cricket. Kayo Sports