If We Can Replicate Ashes Form in Summer We’ll be Fine: Matthew Wade

While there is a certain amount of curiosity about what Pakistan’s young fast bowlers will dish out at the Gabba beginning Thursday in the first Test against Australia, Matthew Wade need not worry too much as his duels with Jofra Archer in England are certain to hold him in good stead.

Wade finished this year’s Ashes campaign as Australia third-highest runs scorer with his 337 runs including two hundreds. And while his contest with Archer at The Oval remains a stand-out moment, Wade held a clear idea of what was coming him.

However, given the composition of the Pakistan pace battery it is going to be a different proposition for Wade, who isn’t one to study hours of footage of his opposition.



“We had a chat yesterday about their bowlers,” Wade said, following a training session in Brisbane.

“We had a few guys – Bangers (Bancroft) had a bit of time out in the middle to see a few of them, so he told us what he saw. (Perth Stadium) is a wicket where it flies through, and it was pink ball so those games we know are very different to red ball. So you can take a bit out of it, but not too much.”

“But we take some good confidence out of facing Jofra and Broady (England’s Stuart Broad), and the guys over there (in the UK) bowled really well. So if we can come back here and bat to the best of our abilities, and bat close to what some of the guys did in England that will hold us in good stead for the Australian summer.”

Wade returned to the Test team after a while during the Ashes and scored 110 in the second innings of the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston, paving the way for his team’s 251-run victory that was crucial in them retaining the urn.

This will be Wade’s first Test appearance in three years on Australian soil.

“I’m just itching to get started, to be honest,” Wade said today.

“This is probably the worst part, the next couple of days.

“Part of why this is the hardest part of the build-up to the Test series is you’ve got to face those guys in the nets, and they’re running in.

“They’ve been terrific bowlers for a long period of time.

‘Josh and Patty and Starcy have played a lot of test cricket in this country, and they looked really good today.

“We know that if we can get enough runs on the board they’ll take care of business, along with Gazza (Lyon).”​