Tim Paine ready for first-class comeback

Former Australian captain Tim Paine has returned to cricket and has been secretly training with the Tasmanian Sheffield Shield players in recent weeks.

Tim Paine is set to resume his first-class career in October Picture: Getty Images

Former Australian captain Tim Paine has returned to cricket and has been secretly training with the Tasmanian Sheffield Shield squad in recent weeks.

He does not have a contract with the state, but has been given permission to join pre-season training and could be back playing first-class cricket by the start of the summer when Tasmania play Queensland at Allan Border Field on October 6.

But first he will begin at club level.

Paine has barely been sighted in public since he stepped away from the game amid a sexting scandal in November.

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There were serious concerns over his mental health at the time and according to friends he spent months in a dark place as he tried to deal with the fallout.

Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dom Baker confirmed Paine’s presence with the squad to The Australian and predicted a return to the state side.

“It was just great to see him come into my office and request permission to train,” he said. “He started here as just a 16-year-old all those years ago and has been a part of our cricket ever since.

“He is training as an uncontracted player to get fit for club cricket, but if he proves to be anywhere near his best expect to see him playing state cricket again.

“All of Tasmania and I think most of Australia wants to see him finish his career on his own terms.”

He was part of two successful Sheffield Shield campaigns with Tasmania and shares a deep connection with the state’s cricket side which has welcomed him back into the fold.

Paine was considered the best wicketkeeper in Australia before stepping away and was celebrated for the role he played with Justin Langer in resurrecting the reputation of the side post the sandpaper scandal.

He had been a regular part of the University of Tasmania cricket club since he was a teenager and will train with them when their pre-season begins.

“It’s baby steps for now,” his manager James Henderson told The Australian on Sunday.

“It’s been a tough time in so many ways and getting back to cricket is a crucial part of Tim’s recovery.”

The 37-year-old had been on a rigorous fitness regime at the Body Fit Training centre he owns with George Bailey and former St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt before informally joining the state squad.

Paine had never retired from cricket but withdrew from the captaincy and the Test side on the eve of the Ashes after a four-year-old sexting scandal was revealed.

The wicketkeeper had previously been investigated and cleared of any wrongdoing by Cricket Australia, but lost the support of management and the board when the matter became public four years later.

He was not given another Australian contract this year and Pat Cummins has taken over as permanent Test captain.

Tim Paine stepped down as Australian Test captain. Picture: Chris Kidd

Tasmania did not include him on its contract list and he is not expected to be part of the Hurricane’s signings for 2023.

The domestic franchise is in competition with South Africa and the UAE competing for big name players.

Paine became a recluse in the fall out from the scandal but has recently re-emerged and reconnected with friends.

He and wife Bonnie were among the guests at Cummins’ wedding in Byron Bay last month and has been in better spirits than in the immediate aftermath of the scandal.

There were real concerns for Paine after he stood down from the team on the eve of the Ashes.

His manager Henderson said at the time that the Tasmanian “is stepping away from cricket for an indefinite mental health break. We are extremely concerned for his and Bonnie’s wellbeing and will be making no further comment at this time.”

Cummins came out in support of Paine at The Chappell Foundation annual dinner two weeks ago.

“I know us players certainly won’t forget him. He’s brought the Ashes back from a series over in England, that’s huge. That hasn’t been done for 20 years.

“So, I think someone like Painey, firstly as a mate, you just want to make sure he’s OK.

“Again, honest mistakes. I felt like he did the wrong thing, but he tried to fix the situation as best as he could.

“You know, these are personal things, everyone has them. I personally didn’t think it was a huge deal and I really feel for him.”

Tim Paine has been working hard to be physically ready for the domestic summer

Just this week Steve O’Keefe called on the BBL to seek out Paine and give him another chance.

“I’m happy to sit here and say I think it would be a great move for CA and the cricket community to get Tim Paine back playing and involved in cricket,” O’Keefe told News Corp.

“Because of the work that he’d done when cricket was arguably going through its darkest moments – he brought us back into it.

“I’d love nothing more than to have that bloke come out and play, it’d be a great story.

“One thing the game doesn’t do well is the exiting part of players’ careers. And it doesn’t sit well with me how he’s finished up.

“He’s a player who deserved a lot better.

“He missed the Hobart Test last summer. (CA should be saying), ‘come back and help the Hurricanes win their first BBL title and go out a home crowd hero.

“(They should say) ‘we’ll top it up. We want you to do a bit of commentary, we want you to coach. We want you. Because of the service and what you’ve done for us, we’re going to look after you and we want you to grow the game for us rather than leave bitter and twisted.’

“I don’t know where he’s at. I don’t know him that well, but getting him to play would be amazing. People would turn up.”