Matthew Wade overseas stint at Somerset called off

The Australian batsman will now require a “sustained period of rest” on the back of Australia’s ultimately truncated ODI series against New Zealand, having suffered a knee problem

• County hub

Australia batsman Matthew Wade has been ruled out of his overseas stint at Somerset due to a knee problem.

The makeup of the forthcoming campaign remains in doubt, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but Cricket Australia have advised the Taunton county that the 32-year-old will no longer be available for his spell.

He was due to join for the seven County Championship games in the first half of the season. However, he will now require a “sustained period of rest” on the back of Australia’s ultimately truncated ODI series against New Zealand that was abandoned after one game due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Andy Hurry, Somerset’s director of cricket, said: “Obviously this is disappointing news for Matthew, but injuries are part and parcel of the game. I know that our members and supporters were looking forward to seeing a player of his calibre lining up for us this summer and we share in their disappointment.

“We wish Matthew a quick recovery and we appreciate the correspondence and updates from Cricket Australia.”

Wade added: “It’s a big blow. I was looking forward to the challenge of playing county cricket in England this summer, but after discussions with the Cricket Australia medical team regrettably, it became clear that I wouldn’t be in a position to join Somerset.”

In any case, it seems unlikely that Wade’s trip would have come to fruition, given the fears that it will be difficult for the domestic season to begin as initially scheduled.

Over the course of last summer’s Ashes series, Wade scored 337 runs – a figure only surpassed by Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne for the visitors. He has also captained Tasmania and led Victoria to a pair of Sheffield Shield crowns.

He had been set to follow a fine line of batting overseas players at Taunton; in 2019, the county welcomed Azhar Ali, Babar Azam and Murali Vijay to the club.