Wade confident of retaining ODI gloves

Matthew Wade is confident he'll be standing behind the stumps when Australia meet England in next month's Gillette ODI series, believing his record in the format in recent years should be enough to keep his spot in the 50-over squad.

Wade was dropped from Australia's Test team ahead of the current Magellan Ashes series, replaced by Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes teammate Tim Paine.

Paine is also Australia's incumbent T20 wicketkeeper and both he and Wade are likely to be in running to wear the gloves in the five-match one-day international series.

Wade was dropped for the third match of Australia's most recent ODI series, a five-match tour of India in September, following scores of 9 and 2 in the opening two games.

Part-time 'keeper Peter Handscomb took the gloves for that third match in Indore, but Wade returned for the final two matches, scoring 3 not out and 20.

Wade, who said he hadn't spoken to the Australian selectors since the Ashes squad was announced, is still eager to fight his way back into the Test team but admits he is unsure of his future in the format.

However, he is more confident where the one-day game is concerned.

"Every time you play you want to play for Australia, but I'm not sure whether I'll play Test cricket again," Wade told cricket.com.au.

"But if I can play ODI cricket again … l feel like I've played really well over the last three years in that format so hopefully I'll get a crack at that.

"I was captain of the Australian team (earlier this year in New Zealand) and I scored a hundred about seven or eight innings ago so I can't see why they'd want to make a change."

Wade scored a breakthrough century against Pakistan in Brisbane last summer and was set to stand in as captain for the three-match Chappell-Hadlee ODI series in New Zealand at the start of the year, before he was ruled out by a back injury.  

Since that ODI at the Gabba he has scored 84 runs at 12 in 50-over internationals, but his form was more promising in his three JLT One-Day Cup appearances for Tasmania where he produced knocks of 46, 39 and 38. 

And last week, he scored an unbeaten 72 for Tasmania in their 10-wicket JLT Sheffield Shield win over New South Wales in Hobart.

While current international 'keepers Wade and Paine are the frontrunners for the one-day series, uncapped South Australia and Adelaide Strikers gloveman Alex Carey is also keen to push his name forward with a strong BBL|07 campaign.

"Having my name out there for Test selection was a really good thing for my cricket and it means I'm potentially not too far away if I keep performing," Carey told cricket.com.au earlier this week.

"The one-day series is definitely something, I'll hopefully do well in the Big Bash and put my name out there for selection in that limited-overs space.

"Seeing my name was out there, I guess it keeps driving you a bit harder."

Meanwhile, Wade has been traded to the Hobart Hurricanes from the Melbourne Renegades for KFC BBL|07, where he finds himself in the same squad as Paine.

International commitments mean it's unlikely the pair will find themselves in the same XI during the tournament, but if they do, Wade believes he knows who'll be handed the 'keeping gloves.

"He's the Test 'keeper so I assume he gets the gloves and I run around the field," he said.

Wade harbours no ill feeling towards his fellow gloveman.

"He was playing the game I was in when the Ashes team got picked so we had a chat and a beer," he said. "He doesn't pick the team so there's no rivalry between us, we just play."

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21