Wade given all-clear after nasty blow

Having just arrived at the crease, Wade was struck by a Lewis Gregory delivery and immediately wheeled around to square leg where he dropped to his haunches clutching his elbow.

With team doctor John Orchard by his side, Wade was in obvious discomfort as he removed his white sweatband, repeatedly squeezed his right hand and picked up his bat to see if he could carry on.

The sight of the left-hander putting his sweatband back on indicated he would tough it out, and his return to the crease was greeted with another short ball from Gregory.

The Tasmanian batted through until tea but after the 20-minute break had elapsed it was No.6 Mitch Marsh who strode out alongside Travis Head and not Wade, who had retired hurt in the interval as a precautionary measure. It is understood Wade was in good spirits as he iced his elbow on the dressing room balcony. He was sent for scans which showed no break but it is unlikely he will bat again in Canterbury.

“Matthew went for a precautionary X-ray after taking a blow to his right elbow,” said Dr Orchard. “The X-ray came back clear but he’s probably suffering from a bruised nerve from the impact and his grip strength is impaired.

“Matthew will be reassessed in the morning but it’s unlikely he’ll bat again in this innings. However we’re very hopeful he’ll recover in good time for the Australia - Australia A game next week.”

A serious injury so close to the Ashes would be a cruel blow for Wade, who left his home in Hobart with his family’s blessing just days after the birth of his second child to push for an Ashes spot after a dominant summer with the bat. The 31-year-old scored 1021 runs at 60 for the Tigers in the Sheffield Shield and was the second leading run-scorer in the KFC Big Bash behind Hobart Hurricanes teammate D’Arcy Short.

He’s been in stunning form on Australia A’s tour of England, posting one-day centuries against Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, the latter the fastest List A hundred by an Australian off just 45 balls. Following injuries to Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja, Wade was called up to Australia’s World Cup squad but ultimately didn’t play in the semi-final loss to England.