Leg Buys: Wade’s unique coaching move, Victoria head to South America T20 competition
Cricket Victoria is in deep discussions to enter a new Global Super League set to be held in South America, plus DANIEL CHERNY has the details of Matthew Wade’s next move in Leg Buys.
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He hasn’t actually retired from international cricket but Matthew Wade is already making the transition to international coach.
The World Cup-winning gloveman is set to join the Australian coaching staff for the upcoming white-ball series against Pakistan and continue his gradual transition out of playing.
The Aussies have three one-dayers and three Twenty20s against Pakistan next month.
The last T20 in Hobart is just four days before the start of the first Test against India.
Victorian great and former Australian batter Brad Hodge will also be part of the Aussie coaching staff for the Pakistan series.
While Andrew McDonald, Daniel Vettori, Michael Di Venuto and Andre Borovec are the first-choice members of Australia’s coaching staff, Hodge is one of a bunch of regular rotating understudies that includes Clint McKay.
Trent Woodhill and Andy Flower are others who have featured in the past.
Wade, who turns 37 on Boxing Day, retired from first-class cricket in March. His final game was Tasmania’s loss to Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield final.
He was on the books of Gujarat for this year’s Indian Premier League season before being part of Australia’s side at the Twenty20 World Cup in June, when the Aussies were eliminated before the semi-finals.
On the back of modest showings at that tournament, he was left out of the squad for the T20 series against Scotland and England last month when Josh Inglis had a clear run at being the side’s No.1 wicketkeeper.
At the time of the squad’s announcement, Cricket Australia said Wade had “missed selection” as opposed to retiring.
Though technically available, it appears improbable Wade will be back in the middle for Australia, for whom he has played 36 Tests, 97 one-day internationals and 92 Twenty20 internationals across a stop-start career.
Wade has continued to play one-dayers for Tassie and will again front up for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League after deciding to join the freelance circuit after finishing up his first-class career.
He is this week working with Tasmania’s second XI as an assistant coach for the match at Lindisfarne against the ACT.
Wade’s move into coaching follows that of Tim Paine, who was appointed coach of the Adelaide Strikers this year and will again work with Australia A during its upcoming series against India A.
GUYANESE IF YOU PLEASE
Having already dabbled with an alignment in the US-based Major League Cricket, Cricket Victoria is looking seriously at entering a team in the new Global Super League set to be held across late next month and early December in Guyana.
It’s understood CV is in advanced discussions about joining the five-team competition, which has been sanctioned by Cricket West Indies.
The Caribbean Premier League’s Guyanese Amazon Warriors, England’s Hampshire and South Africa’s Titans are all reportedly set to play in the league for prizemoney of $1 million.
It is unclear whether Cricket Victoria would enter a side under either the banner of the Melbourne Stars or Renegades, nor who would represent the state’s side given the tournament overlaps with Australia’s domestic season.
But the league has the backing of West Indian great Clive Lloyd, who is its chairman.
“The passion for cricket in Guyana rivals that of fans anywhere and we look forward to celebrating our love of the game and our rich and vibrant country with both those visiting in person and watching from around the world,” Lloyd said.
CV has an affiliation with MLC’s San Francisco Unicorns, while Cricket NSW operates the high-performance arm of the Washington Freedom, which beat the Unicorns in this year’s final.
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Originally published as Leg Buys: Wade’s unique coaching move, Victoria head to South America T20 competition
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