http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricke...l/news-story/29fb909b59abe3321fdf2d97aaae9afa
MATTHEW Wade lost his spot in the Australian team, his domestic T20 wicketkeeping gig and now a BBL final — but that’s not all.
The discarded Aussie gloveman was snubbed for the Ashes when Tim Paine was given the nod and Paine came back late in the BBL for the Hobart Hurricanes, taking Wade’s place behind the stumps as the 30-year-old was relegated to the outfield.
Wade copped another demotion in Sunday’s final in which
the Adelaide Strikers defeated Hobart by 25 runs. Jake Weatherald belted a history-making century for the home side and Peter Siddle did the damage with the ball to ensure the trophy would head to the South Australian capital.
Wade had a match to forget, run out without facing a ball. He scampered through for a single to get himself on strike but Strikers keeper Alex Carey threw the stumps down and ended his brief stay.
Getting a duck is bad enough but when you don’t even get to face up a single time it makes it that much worse.
The strangest aspect of his dismissal was it came so late in the run chase. Wade — who has opened or batted at first drop for much of the tournament — came in at No. 6 on Sunday and was run out on the first ball of the 18th over.
Paine was preferred at the top of the order and captain George Bailey batted at No. 3, followed by Ben McDermott and all-rounder Dan Christian.
Wade’s demotion was even more bizarre given he’d found form in the Hurricanes’ semi-final win over the Perth Scorchers. Opening the batting alongside Paine while D’Arcy Short was away on Australian duty, he smoked 71 off 45 balls.
But he never got the chance to replicate that performance. The cameras caught him smashing his bat into the bench after he’d trudged back to the sideline, clearly furious following his disappointing exit.
“I thought it was a tough call on Matthew Wade,” Mark Waugh said during Channel 10’s coverage.
Commentators speculated Wade was continually held back because the Hurricanes wanted to maintain a right-handed and left-handed combination at the crease during their innings, and given the left-handed Short (68) batted for 17 overs, right-handers kept getting promoted ahead of the former Australian keeper.
Bailey confirmed that logic after play, saying had Short been the first man out, Wade would have batted at No. 3.
Despite the reasoning, Wade’s latest snub was still another blow in what’s been a summer from hell, especially considering his last-start 71. The man who moved back to Tasmania from Victoria at the start of this season said recently he’d all but given up hope on playing for Australia again after being overlooked in all formats for Paine and Carey.
Fans on social media were all thinking the same thing, puzzled by Wade — someone with two Test centuries and one ODI ton on his resume — being kept on the sideline for as long as he was.
