Paine taking ‘indefinite leave’, may have played last Test

Tim Paine’s decision to put his family first will almost certainly rule him out from the Ashes and draw the curtain on one of the unlikeliest of Test careers.

Newly appointed leaders Pat Cummins and Steve Smith rallied around their former skipper, who is taking what his management said is “an indefinite mental health break” after the fallout from the damaging revelations last week which forced his resignation as Test captain.

If this is the end for Paine, as it appears, it would be a harrowing and sad way to bow out for a man, who, until days ago, was to be best remembered for the role he played in leading the national men’s team out of the dark days of the sandpaper affair.

Close to calling it quits in 2017 to take an office job with Kookaburra, Paine played 31 of his 35 Tests after his 32nd birthday, 23 of them as captain.

The cricket field had initially appeared to be a sanctuary for Paine, who was due to make his return to state cricket on Friday in a one-day game for Tasmania having played in a second XI game earlier in the week.

Former Australian captain Tim Paine is taking a leave of absence from the game.Credit: Getty

Tasmania coach Ali de Winter said as late as Thursday morning that Paine was “absolutely thrilled and excited” about playing, but he also spoke about the “deep challenges” confronting the married father of two.

Paine was scheduled to fly to Queensland on the weekend to link up with the Australian team ahead of a three-day practice match next Wednesday followed by five Tests in just over six weeks in world cricket’s most famous rivalry.

The tone of his manager’s announcement, however, indicated where cricket stood on his list of priorities.

“Confirming that @tdpaine36 is stepping away from cricket for an indefinite mental health break. We are extremely concerned for his and Bonnie’s well-being and will be making no further comment at this time,” his manager James Henderson wrote on Twitter.

Australian players have been privately and publicly rallying around Paine, who remains held in the highest of regard by the team despite the unpleasant details of the past week.

“I’ve been chatting to Tim the whole week, spoke to him on the phone this morning. We really feel for Tim and his family,” Cummins said.

“He’s just a really loved, well-respected leader for our team. He’s been incredible for me, especially since being vice-captain he’s been someone who has looked after me who I’ve learned a lot off.

“That’s consistent with all the boys and the staff up here. We really feel for Tim and what he’s going through. We love him, we hope we see him back in the team soon and just wish him all the best.”

Smith understands better than most the pain of having one’s reputation shredded so publicly, urging the man who succeeded him as captain to “take care of himself and be really kind to himself”.

Both hope to see Paine back in the team again, but, even if he does regain the desire to play at the top level, it would require selectors to cast aside pragmatism for sentiment.

Firstly, Paine will be short of match practice to take part in pressure cooker of an Ashes series. Selectors will already have made generational change behind the stumps and may be reluctant to alter their path once the new course is taken.

Paine’s story is a cautionary tale for the dangers of holding the office of Test captain to an unrealistically high standard. He had been portrayed as the face of cultural reformation by an organisation that was aware of his past.

“It’s tough to see, it’s really hit home the added scrutiny of being captain, a reminder how many Australians love cricket, and we have really high expectations,” Cummins said.

“Some parts of it are daunting but you can’t stay in bed all day worrying about some of these things. Concentrating on more of there’s so much positive to this role, there’s so much I could bring to it [and] try not to overthink it and just try to be me.

“I’ve been in this role for a couple of years and I’ve been backed to be captain. I’m not going to be anyone different. I’ll be myself and hopefully that’s enough.

“I won’t always get things right. I’m certainly not perfect. There’s going to be things that pop up. But as long as I can sleep at night, I’m really comfortable with the responsibility of that.”

On Friday, the former staffer at the centre of the sexting scandal lodged a fresh sexual harassment allegation against Cricket Tasmania with the Federal Court.

The 17-page document formed an originating application through the Australian Human Rights Commission Act. In it, the staffer refers to a third CT employee. Paine and brother-in-law Shannon Tubb were named after news of the initial scandal broke last week.

Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.