Former Australia Test Captain Tim Paine Retires from Domestic Cricket

Paine’s Retirement

Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine has retired from domestic cricket, calling time on his career at stumps in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at Bellerive Oval. Paine left the field to a guard of honour from players from both sides.

Paine’s Career

Paine, who skippered Australia in 23 Tests between early 2018 and 2021 and played 35 Tests overall, became Australia’s 46th Test skipper when Steve Smith was stood down after the infamous ball-tampering scandal on Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa. The 38-year-old’s final outing was a low-key affair, with the captains of Tasmania and Queensland agreeing to an early finish at tea on day four. Queensland opener Bryce Street earlier hit an unbeaten 102 to help his side to 1-184 – still 248 runs from victory when the match was declared a draw.

Paine’s Amazing Play

Hobart-born Paine represented Tasmania over 18 years after debuting in 2005, playing 153 first-class matches. Tasmania captain Jordan Silk expressed that, “He has been a phenomenal player. I’m sure a lot of guys will say there has never been as good a keeper as Tim Paine in Australia. Considering his age, the standard of keeping he has been able to maintain has been really incredible. He sets a great example with his work ethic for all our guys. We have been incredibly blessed down here, and we wish him all the best in whatever he chooses going forward.”

Stats on Paine’s Career

Paine, who made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lords in 2010, averaged 32.63 with a highest-score of 92 and made 157 dismissals behind the stumps. He also played 35 one-day internationals.

Paine’s Comeback Trail

He stepped down as Test captain in the lead-up to the 2021-22 Ashes series when explicit text messages he sent to a Cricket Tasmania employee in 2017 became public. Paine intended to continue playing against England on the comeback trail from injury before stepping away indefinitely amid heavy media scrutiny. Despite not having a full-time state contract, Paine trained with Tasmania’s top squad in the lead-up to the summer and earned a Sheffield Shield recall for their season opener against Queensland. He played seven matches for the season as well as figuring in Big Bash League game for his hometown Hobart Hurricanes.

Paine’s Future

Paine has previously flagged a shift into coaching post-playing. It is unknown when he will make that transition.

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Credit: https://www.maitlandmercury.com.au/story/8125111/former-australia-captain-tim-paine-retires-from-cricket/

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