CHRISTCHURCH: Australian batsman Matthew Wade said he was not looking for an explanation from the national selectors after being dropped from the Test squad, knowing he had enough opportunities to keep his place in the team.

Wade, 33, got several starts in the recent 2-1 home series defeat by India — with four scores above 30 — but failed to pass 50 in any of his eight innings.

The Tasmanian batsman failed to make the cut for the South Africa tour, which has been postponed due to Covid-19 concerns.

“I don’t need to dive into it too much, I know where I’m at and comfortable with what I did,” Wade told a news conference on Saturday. “There was always someone who was probably going to get left out when we lost the series and that was me. The only regret I have is not turning one of my starts into a big score.”

While he was overlooked for South Africa, Wade has a chance to impress the selectors on the Twenty20 tour of New Zealand, with the first game to begin in Christchurch on Monday.

Due to pre-tournament bio-security protocols it was not possible to amend the T20 squad after the South Africa trip was cancelled, meaning a number of youngsters have a chance to prove their worth ahead of the World Cup in October.

“Guys like Josh Philippe and Riley Meredith have had three or four years of BBL experience. It’s an exciting opportunity for them to play at the big stage,” said Wade, who is likely to take on wicketkeeping duties in New Zealand. “If we are going to win the World Cup, we need to have a good squad depth. This scenario certainly tests that.”

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2021