Tim Paine included in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield squad, in line to play his first professional match in over 18 months
Paine had last played a first-class game in early 2021 but made his return to club cricket in this weekend. He wore the keeping gloves and also made an unbeaten 20.
Tasmania [Australia], October 4 (ANI): Australian wicketkeeper-batter Tim Paine is in line to play his first professional game of cricket in more than 18 months after he was named in the Tasmanian squad, for the Sheffield Shield, which will face Queensland this week.
Paine had last played a first-class game in early 2021 but made his return to club cricket in this weekend. He wore the keeping gloves and also made an unbeaten 20.
Paine resigned from Australian captaincy in November last year amid a text-message scandal. After a while of this incident, the batter said that he is taking a break from the game for sake of his mental health.
He missed out on a place in the Tasmania contract list that was issued earlier this year. Later, he approached the state’s coaching stuff and expressed his willingness to return to the game.
“That one sort of popped up from nowhere to be honest. He came and spoke to the CEO and myself one day and said he would like to come back and he is certainly going to play cricket for University,” Tasmania head coach Justin Vaughan was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“So he has been training with us most sessions the last five or six weeks. Physically [he is] going well, emotionally going well. I am sure everyone would agree that we trust his wicketkeeping skill set, his leadership skill set,” he added.
The batter has represented Australia in 35 matches, across which he has scored 1,534 at an average of 32.63 in 57 innings. Nine half-centuries have come out of his bat, with the best individual score of 92.
The left-hander has featured in 35 ODIs for Aussies, in which he has scored 890 runs at an average of 27.81. One century and five half-centuries have come out of his bat in the 50-over format, with the best score of 111.
He has also played 10 T20Is, in which he has scored 82 runs.
Tasmania squad: Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk (c), Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster. (ANI)
