Matthew Wade is doing everything we’ve asked of Australian cricketers, says Justin Langer

Wade had not played for his country in any format for almost two years. Then, he was called-up to the World Cup squad in place of the injured Usman Khawaja. However, he remained unused. But in the meanwhile, the 31-year-old has scored three centuries in England in recent weeks - two for Australia A in List A fixtures and another for an XI in a first-class clash with England Lions. Head coach Langer believes Wade is very close to a callup to the Australian Test side for the Ashes. 

"There's a lot of talk about Wadey and his form, where he's batting and his wicket keeping. He just keeps doing it. He's got three hundreds on this tour already - he's only batted six or seven times. He's doing everything we've asked of Australian cricketers,” Langer was quoted saying by Sportstar. 

Wade is currently preparing for a clash between Australia and Australia A ahead of the announcement of the team for the first Ashes Test, which starts on August 1.

“He's making runs, big runs, he's knocking that hard, he's got that look in his eye. Coming into a tough series like this, you like to see those fighting instincts. He's certainly banging very hard for selection," Langer said.

Tim Paine, who also featured in the first class match, was praised for his big character. Having gone from not playing cricket at all to suddenly being made Australia’s Test captain, Paine has shown immense maturity in guiding the team through one of the toughest phases in Australian cricket. For his efforts, he has been retained as the Test captain for the Ashes as well, despite the return of Steve Smith and David Warner.

"You talk about the toughest pretty boy I've met, he's very impressive. He's physically tough, helping to guide the boys through the past 12 months. To come back from almost not playing cricket to being Test captain says a lot about his character,” Langer said of Paine. 

The coach-captain duo enjoy a great relationship on and off the field. Langer said that he was particularly happy with the singular focus Paine has shown towards the upcoming series.

"I get on that well with him, we have a great relationship. I've always felt the relationship between the captain and coach is crucial - we're lucky to have a great relationship. He's very impressive and I know how focused and committed he is to this series, so I'm happy about that," Langer added.

After a humiliating loss against their arch rivals England in the semi-final of the World Cup, the Aussies will now be looking for payback.