T20 World Cup 2022: Matthew Wade likely to be Australia's back-up captain for the tournament - Reports 

Australian wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade will serve as the captain of the side if Aaron Finch is unavailable during the T20 World Cup 2022, according to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald. The Tasmanian first led the nation during a T20I against India in Sydney two years ago.

Wade is currently not on a contract with Cricket Australia as he heads into the tournament as the first-choice wicket-keeper and potential vice-captain. He has already played 11 T20Is in 2022 and with more matches on the horizon, he is set to receive an incremental contract - worth about $350,000 once he plays 12 T20Is.

The wicket-keeper also captained the side in Aaron Finch's absence during a five-match T20I series against Bangladesh last year. The Men in Yellow struggled in the subcontinent conditions, losing the series 4-1. However, they managed to win the T20 World Cup 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a couple of months later under Finch.

Struggling for form heading into the World Cup last year, Wade had 11 innings under his belt without crossing the 30-run mark.

However, a memorable match-winning cameo against Pakistan in the semi-final reignited his prospects as a finisher for the side. He has been in tremendous form as of late and has scored 188 runs in 11 innings this year, with an average of 94 and a strike rate of 164.91.

"We’re always pretty positive because we play seven batters now" - Matthew Wade

The veteran wicket-keeper was one of the positives for Australia during their short tour of India. Wade scored an unbeaten 45 and 43 in the first and second T20Is respectively, maintaining his good form heading into the World Cup.

Noting that the decision to play with an extra batter has worked wonders for the side, the wicket-keeper told IANS during the tour of India:

“We’re always pretty positive because we play seven batters now - that’s a shift we made just before the World Cup last year - genuine batters and make up the fifth bowler in the top six. We’ve got a lot of depth in our batting and confidence that we can chase big scores."

Australia have stacked their playing XI with plenty of all-rounders, who can function as a fifth-bowling option for the side. The likes of Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green have rolled their arms over depending on the conditions and the situation.

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