Melbourne: Veteran Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has been handed a one-match suspension from the ongoing Season 12 of the Big Bash League (BBL|12) for swearing during a match.
Wade, who is part of the Australia white-ball team in the T20 World Cup at home this season, is the captain of Hobart Hurricanes in BBL|12 and will miss the Christmas eve encounter with Melbourne Renegades at Melbourne.
Cricket Australia released a statement on Saturday saying Wade had been served one suspension point after incurring three level 1 Code of Conduct breaches within the past 18 months.
“The charges in that period relate to two instances of the use of an audible obscenity and one instance of abuse of cricket equipment,” the statement said.
Wade’s suspension has opened up an opportunity for former Australian captain Tim Paine to make a comeback into the squad. The Hurricanes brought in Paine into the squad for the match despite the presence of top-order batter Ben McDermott, who seems the main contender to both take the gloves and the captaincy in Wade’s absence.
Paine, who has played three Sheffield Shield matches this summer, has not appeared in the Big Bash League since February 2018 and comes into the squad, but is no certainty for a spot in the playing XI.
Wade also copped a one-match ban in 2014 for breaking a window in the changeroom after throwing a water bottle at an esky.
Wade, who turns 35 on Boxing Day and has been squeezed out of the Australia Test and ODI sides, recently said that he would understand that coach Andrew McDonald and selector George Bailey would like to drop him from the T20I squad, of which he has been an integral part for the last few years, and bring in Josh Inglis ahead of him for the next set of T20I matches.
–IANS