Australia's semi-final hero Matthew Wade reveals he played with injury in T20 WC final, shares retirement plans

Australia's T20 World Cup hero Matthew Wade revealed that he played the final against New Zealand with a Grade 2 side strain and added next year's World Cup on home soil will be his international swansong. It was Wade's 17-ball 41 heroics that helped Australia in the semifinal chase against Pakistan and miraculously took them over the line -- to put them on course to winning their first-ever T20 World Cup title.

"I was a little bit worried the night before the game, for sure," Wade was quoted as saying as per cricket.com.au.

"If I had woken up and I couldn't swing the bat, I wouldn't have played. I was worried that if we'd batted first and I had to go as hard as I could and I tore it then, I wouldn't be able to keep and that would hurt the team a lot.

"But in my mind, they would have had to strap me to the bed. I was always going to go out there and play. But I wouldn't have played if there was a chance it was going to hurt the team," Wade added.

The 33-year-old Wade, who has now lost his Test spot for the upcoming Ashes, has set his sights on Australia's T20 World Cup title defence on home soil 11 months later - his last international assignment.

"That'll be my next motivation - hopefully, get to that World Cup, defend the title, and then I can sail off into the sunset. I certainly won't be playing (international cricket) beyond that point. That would be my goal from here," Wade revealed.

Wade, who is contracted with Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes for the next few years, plans to continue playing domestic cricket beyond next year's T20 World Cup.