Wade to return home

Matthew Wade will return home from the tour of New Zealand, it was confirmed by Cricket Australia in a release issued to the press.

The wicketkeeper, who was appointed captain for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy One-Day International series, injured his back during preparations for the opening encounter in Auckland and so missed that six-run loss at Eden Park on Monday.

And after further discussions following his failure to recover sufficiently for Thursday’s game two in Napier it was decided he will return to Melbourne for treatment with a view to ensuring he is fit for the tour of India, including a pre-series training camp at the International Cricket Council Academy in Dubai.

Aaron Finch, who stood in for Wade as captain on Monday, will take charge of the two remaining matches in the series, in Napier (2 February) and Hamilton (5 February). No replacement player will be drafted into the squad.

Cricket Australia Chief Medical Officer Doctor John Orchard said: “With Matthew not being fit for Thursday’s game in Napier it has been decided to send him home for an assessment and treatment in Melbourne, with a view to him being fit for the tour of India and the training camp in Dubai that precedes it. We are hopeful this injury will settle down relatively quickly and that he will be able to participate in that tour without any issues.”

Matthew Wade said: “It’s not a major injury but with the short turnaround between matches and the four-and-a-half hour journey by bus to Hamilton for the next match, it’s been decided it’s best for me to go home and get some treatment in Melbourne.

“With Dubai and then India I’d say I’d definitely be right for that. I’ll get that bit of treatment in Melbourne and we’re hopeful it’ll be fine by Sunday or Monday and I can be on a flight to Dubai and start training pretty much as soon as I hit the ground there.

“It’s happened to me once before, in Ireland a couple of years ago. I did it the day before the game then and was right to go the next day. This one’s just taken a little bit more time and there’s no reason why that’s happened. Sometimes you recover really quickly and at other times it’s a little slower.

“It’s heartbreaking I couldn’t take the field as captain but it’s been a real honour to have been appointed captain and to be able to lead the group in the time I’ve been here in New Zealand. And after all, it’s all about the team, it’s not about me. Hopefully we can win the next two games and win the series.”

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