Wade states his keeping case

Melbourne Renegades recruit Matt Wade has made it clear that he will keep wickets throughout BBL|04, despite the presence of incumbent Australia A wicketkeeper Peter Nevill at the club.

Wade, who made the always controversial switch across town from the Stars, signed a four-year deal with the red half of Melbourne’s T20 divide and bigbash.com.au understands that he has been given assurances he will have first crack at the wicketkeeping role.

“I’m going there to keep, for sure,” Wade said.

“I wouldn’t have made the move if I wasn’t going as a keeper.”

While the role of wicketkeeper was a non-negotiable, Wade also felt the move suited him for other reasons, which he outlined to bigbash.com.au while in Townsville with Australia A.

“I wanted to stay in Melbourne, no doubt. I was pretty settled until the opportunity (at the Renegades) came up late.

“The opportunity to bat in the top few is probably the sealer for me to change clubs.”

Wade’s decision to sign a long-term deal was also a deliberate strategy by the wicketkeeper-batsman as he looks to resurrect his international career.

“I don’t want to be changing every year or two in BBL,” he added.

“It’s a big commitment, for four years.

“I want to lock down and be able to improve my Twenty20 cricket, and to be able to bat in the top three and get a spot that I (get a) bat in every game would be the ideal scenario for me.”

“I just felt at times in Twenty20, I’m chopping and changing throughout the Stars line-up.

“No disrespect to them, the players that are batting above me or the players throughout that line-up deserve the opportunity to be doing that.

“I think the move worked really well for me and it worked well for the Renegades, so hopefully I can have a big BBL.”

Wade’s move will also have ramifications for Nevill.

The New South Welshman is rated highly among his wicketkeeping peers, and played all eight games behind the stumps for the Renegades in BBL|03.

Currently wicketkeeping for Australia A against South Africa, ahead of Wade who is playing purely as a batsman, Nevill wasn’t buying into the situation.

“All I'm really going to focus on at the moment is these matches for Australia A and then focus on the start of the NSW season, hopefully doing well in the (one-day) Cup there,” he said.

“I suppose the Big Bash, we'll worry about that when it comes around.”

Meanwhile, Wade used all his catching skills to snaffle this blinder against South Africa A yesterday (see video below).