Big Bash League veteran Matthew Wade has called time on his career, effective immediately.
The wicket-keeper batsman, who is a veteran of 119 BBL matches and has played the last nine seasons for the Hobart Hurricanes, has decided to call time on his career.
The decision comes just three months out from the start of the new season, and will leave the Hurricanes scrambling to replace his batting, keeping and experience in the squad.
Wade, who played for the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades before switching to the Hurricanes, has 2978 runs in his 119 BBL matches at a strike rate of 142.35, and a batting average of 30.38 to go with 70 dismissals as a wicket-keeper.
His numbers put him among the best in BBL history, with the fifth most dismissals behind Josh Phillippe (110), Josh Inglis, Jimmy Peirson (both 90) and Sam Harper (79), while he sits ninth for runs behind Chris Lynn (4133), Moises Henriques (3324), Glenn Maxwell (3317), Aaron Finch (3311), Marcus Stoinis (3250), D'Arcy Short (3138), Ben McDermott (3104) and Jono Wells (2999).
His retirement from the BBL likely means he has played his last professional cricket match, having retired from international cricket in 2024 where he played 36 Tests, 97 ODIs and 92 T20 internationals.
The 38-year-old was showered with praise by Hurricanes coach Jeff Vaughan after retiring.
"'Wadey' is one of those cricketers you always wanted on your side," Vaughan said.
"He competed incredibly hard every time he walked onto the field and had the ability to change a game very quickly, but equally important has been what he has passed on to the players around him.
"He has a fantastic cricket brain and has always been willing to share his knowledge and challenge those around him to get better.
"There are a lot of players within our system who have benefited from playing alongside Matt, and I think that will be a significant part of his legacy here."
