“Matthew felt ill this morning and has had nausea and diarrhoea”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade had to return to the team hotel on Thursday after falling ill.

Wade was only on the field for two overs on the third day of the third Test against Pakistan, the start of which was delayed until about 2.35pm due to heavy rain, before going off. As a result, Peter Handscomb had to take over the wicketkeeping duties.

“Matthew felt ill this morning and has had nausea and diarrhoea,” Australia’s team doctor Peter Brukner said. “He’s received medication for his symptoms but is still feeling unwell. After taking the field he realised he was not well enough to continue, hence his decision to come off. He’s returning to the hotel to rest and will hopefully recover by tomorrow morning. We will monitor his condition.”

Handscomb has been a wicketkeeper in nearly 50 first-class, List A and Twenty20 matches combined, and donned the gloves for Victoria in four Matador Cup games this summer. He is expected to do the same for the Melbourne Stars when he plays for them in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) competition.

“The gloves stay in the bag and the pads only come out for a bit of bat-pad work,” Handscomb had said prior to the start of the third Test. “When I’m not keeping it’s pretty much full-time batting and fielding, because I need to be able to catch like a fielder.

“Then as soon as I go back to Big Bash and put the gloves on I’ll do some work there and make sure that my skills are up to date…I think I’d be able to do it as a last call if no one else was around. I can chuck the gloves on, that would be fine.”