Gujarat Titans' star with 9183 runs, 19 tons, 54 fifties announces retirement from this format ahead of IPL 2024

Matthew Wade, Gujarat Titans' and Australia's star wicketkeeper-batter has announced his retirement from First-Class cricket ahead of Sheffield Shield final. Wade's last red-ball match will be the upcoming Sheffield Shield final for Tasmania against Western Australia, which will be played next week in Perth.

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Matthew Wade retires from First-Class cricket

Wade's first-class career began in 2007. Over the course of 165 matches, he amassed an impressive 9183 runs with an average of 40.81, including 19 centuries and 54 fifties. He also solidified his reputation as a skilled wicketkeeper, taking 442 catches and completing 21 stumpings. During his ten-year stint with Victoria, Wade secured four Sheffield Shield titles, even leading the team to victory twice as captain.  He later returned to his home state of Tasmania for the 2017/18 season. Beyond first-class cricket, the 36-year-old represented Australia in 36 Test matches, scoring 1613 runs at an average of 29.87. He notched four centuries during his Test career, including two crucial centuries during the victorious 2019 Ashes campaign in England.

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Gujarat Titans sans Matthew Wade for IPL 2024 opener

Meanwhile Gujarat Titans' will be without Wade for their opening match of the IPL 2024 season. Wade has chosen to prioritise the Sheffield Shield final with his domestic team, Tasmania. As Tasmania is set to host the final from March 21st to 25th, this coincides with the GT's first game against the Mumbai Indians on March 24.

"He's spoken with his IPL franchise and they're happy to allow him to stay here, which probably equates to him potentially missing their first game," Tasmania head coach Jeff Vaughan had earlier said.

"We feel very fortunate to have someone of Matt's ilk coming back into our group, and his experience and his performances at the back end of our season," he had added.

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