Photo Credit: Hobart Hurricanes
Hobart Hurricanes captain, Matthew Wade, is the latest player to confirm his long-term commitment to the club, signing a contract extension that will see him remain a ‘Cane until 2024.
Since returning to Tasmania and joining the Hurricanes for the start of KFC BBL|07, Wade has cemented himself as a run-machine, scoring in excess of 70% of his 1,831 Big Bash runs to date in purple.
Wade was the second-top run-scorer of KFC BBL|08 with 592 runs to his name for the tournament – only second to his Hurricanes teammate, D’Arcy Short, who notched an incredible 637 – which he backed up in BBL|09 with a massive tournament average of 50.14, including a record-breaking knock of 130* against the Adelaide Strikers; the second highest individual score in the tournament’s history.
Despite only being available for three games of KFC BBL|10 due to national duties, Wade still managed to have an influence on the scoreboard, averaging a strike rate of 187.50 across the three matches he played. Wade’s highlight of KFC BBL|10 was arguably his match-winning knock of 86 off just 44 balls to defeat eventual champions, the Sydney Sixers, at the MCG.
“It’s great to be locked in until 2024,” Wade said of his contract extension, which will see him remain in purple until at least the end of BBL|13.
“Obviously the last couple of seasons I haven’t been around the squad as much as I would’ve liked due to international commitments. It’s an honour to represent your country, but I also love playing in the Big Bash, so I guess over the past few years it’s been a bit of a win-win situation for me.
“As a team, we didn’t finish the way we wanted to last year despite some really strong performances throughout the tournament. However, we’ve got a really great group, and it’s great to see that so many of us are committed to the team for the long haul. I’m really excited to see what we can do in BBL|11.”
A stalwart of the Australian team across all formats of the game over the past 10 years, Wade will soon depart Australia for the UAE, as a member of the Australian team that will contest the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
