Welcome to The Grade Cricketer’s special series, Life Outside Cricket, where we catch up with Australian cricketers and try to get under the hood of their life and careers beyond cricket.

We’re doing this in conjunction with the Australian Cricketers Association in promotion of Careers Week, promoting the economic, social and personal benefits of career development for all Australians.

Episode 1 is with Matthew Wade. He’s represented his country 166 times across all formats. He’s batted everywhere, he’s taken the gloves, he’s captained. He’s amassed nearly 10,000 first class runs, and apparently he even bowls in the cherished 140s.

But like the vast majority of cricketers, it hasn’t always been a saloon passage, so he's invested in skills beyond the game, too.

Do those skills relate to cricket? Is he looking forward to life after the game? Or does he want to play cricket forever and experience that specific pain for eternity?

Find out with us on episode 1 of our special series, in partnership with the ACA: Life Outside Cricket.