Somerset sign Matthew Wade for 7 county championship games

London, Dec 24: Somerset has signed Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade for the opening seven county championship games, subject to the club obtaining the No Objection Certificate and the appropriate visa.

"It's an exciting challenge and one that I'm looking forward to. I got a good taste of English conditions last summer and it'll be good to come back over and to hopefully contribute to Somerset winning matches in the county championship," said Wade in an official statement.

"Somerset have got a excellent squad and I'm looking forward to meeting up with the guys and to getting out on the pitch with them.

"I'm told that Somerset have a bit of a history of Australian players doing well for the club, so hopefully I can add my name to that list."

Wade has featured in 30 Tests, scoring 1,350 runs at an average of 30.7 with a highest score of 117.

He has also played 94 ODIs and 26 T20Is in which he has scored 1,777 and 239 runs respectively. In all the three formats, he has taken 189 catches and has claimed 22 stumpings.

After securing the signing Somerset Director of Cricket Andy Hurry said: "He (Wade) is a world class performer, he is extremely driven and he is a leader. He has vast experience and has captained Tasmania as well as leading Victoria to two Sheffield Shields.

"He was outstanding for Australia this summer with the bat and his record speaks for itself. We are delighted to have secured a player of his calibre for our opening seven County Championship matches of 2020."

Somerset's first game of the season will be against Warwickshire at the Cooper Associates County Ground in April.