Wade switches to Melbourne Renegades

Matthew Wade has switched BBL teams, moving to the Melbourne Renegades on a four-year deal. Wade has moved from the Renegades' cross-town rivals the Melbourne Stars, hoping to gain consistent batting time up the order in an effort to push his case as a Twenty20 international player for Australia once again.

"It's a good move for me personally to come over and get the opportunity to try and better myself as a T20 player," Wade said. "Internationally, you generally see that the better players are the guys who are getting the best opportunities and batting higher in the order.

"I wanted to sign a longer term deal as this is a serious move for me, to move from the MCG and the Stars. I had to be serious - I didn't want to be one of those players moving between clubs all the time. This long-term deal is a sign of my commitment to the Renegades."

Simon Helmot, the coach of the Renegades, said: "Having Wadey come into the team is a massive boost for us, particularly this early in the contract period. He'll add even more stability to the top order and will play a key role in our batting plans during BBL 04. He's a competitor and he can hit the ball a long way, which is what we're after at the Renegades."