'Man for crisis' Wade happy to salvage Oz team from tough situations

Sydney -  Mathew Wade, who is fast earning a reputation as the man for a crisis, counter-punching when Australia is in the toughest situation has said he is happy to take that role.

Wade's maiden century against the West Indies, in just his third Test and the only Australian hundred of the series, came after he arrived at the wicket at 5-157.

Even against South African in Perth, he struck a rapid 68 when Australia was 6-45.

"It's probably the best spot in the world to be in that situation out in the middle, just thinking about the next ball," News.com.au quoted Wade, as saying.

"After the games, I actually think the same things. For some reason, I get stuck in at those times," he added.

Wade said his counter-attacking style is a combination of Victorian aggression and Tasmanian grit.

"That's one of the great strengths of the Victorian team with (David) Hussey and (Cameron) White; they tend to counter-punch, they take it straight back to the opposition," Wade said.

"That probably comes out a little bit in my game and then my background of being from Tasmania and the way I played here. I probably used to knuckle down and fight a little bit more and fight pretty hard," he added.

"So, just combining the two, it's nice to have two different styles you can play in different situations," he said.