Former Australian Test cricketer Simon O’Donnell believes that current Australian Test wicketkeeper Matthew Wade will be “moved on” from the team that takes on England in this summer’s Ashes series.
The 29-year-old was recently dropped from the touring Australian one-day international side that suffered a 5-0 series thumping to India last month.
O’Donnell considers this to be the final nail in the coffin for Wade’s hopes of being the national side’s gloveman come the start of First Test against England at the Gabba on November 23.
“I think they’ll move Wade on,” he said on SEN Breakfast.
Should his belief come true, O’Donnell has implored the Australian selectors to blood a new player in the “contentious” wicketkeeper position, rather than choose 31-year-old veteran Peter Nevill.
“If they don’t think Matthew Wade is the one to go forward, what they can’t do is bring Peter Nevill back in. There has got to be a third party here,” he said.
“If they say he is inadequate and take him out of the 11, you can’t put Nevill back in. Nevill has done nothing in the last 18 months to say that I’m a better cricketer when you drop me to now.
“You can’t go backwards to go forwards. That fresh blood is going to be very important if they choose to move Wade on.”
O’Donnell has earmarked 26-year-old South Australian Alex Carey and 24-year-old Western Australian Cameron Bancroft as his two lead choices for the position, both of whom are uncapped.
Victorian Peter Handscomb could also be in line to become the national side’s full time keeper after replacing Wade for the rest of the Indian ODI tour.