Tim Paine

“A temporary captain” as termed by Rishabh Pant as part of banter in the 2018-19 Test series against India, Tim Paine did start as temporary captain aftermath the sandpaper scandal in Cape Town but has gone onto establish himself as a reliable person for the post in the longest format despite the return of Steve Smith and David Warner. Destiny had different things in store for him during the course of his career. 

Paine was planning to quit professional cricket and join Kookaburra as a sponsorship representative. However, destiny had something else in store for him as he went onto become the Australian skipper in March 2018 following the suspension of Steve Smith and David Warner. He led Australia through a very difficult time and despite losing a few series, it was under his captaincy that Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2019. 

Tim Paine was tipped to be one of the frontrunners to replace Brad Haddin following his retirement but an unfortunate finger injury put his career in jeopardy. He had to undergo multiple operations after being hit by a Dirk Nannes delivery while batting during Australia’s Cricket Association All-Stars T20 Match. In the following years, the injury continued to trouble Paine and he couldn’t quite realize the potential of donning the baggie green. 

Paine was part of the Australian squad for the 2009 Champions Trophy and also opened for them in their triumphant campaign. He went onto play four Tests in 2010 against India and Pakistan. He also played a few limited-overs matches here and there but was never in the long term planning of the Australian set-up. 

There was a time when Paine’s career was almost over. He was not even the first choice wicket-keeper for Tasmania let alone the national team. Following a brilliant 215 in 2009, Paine didn’t score a single first-class century till 2019. Despite his indifferent form with the bat, Paine has always been a respected captain and it was his tenure as a leader for the Hobart Hurricanes which paved way for his international return. 

 On the basis of poor performances from the likes of Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill, Paine was brought back to the Test squad ahead of the 2017-18 Ashes. He was quite impressed with the bat and behind the stumps. Though he didn’t score big but chipped in with some useful contributions and was pretty safe behind the stumps. He went on to book a spot for the tour of South Africa and just had fate had in store for the whole Australian team, David Warner and Steve Smith were banned from international cricket by Cricket Australia following their involvement in the sandpaper scandal. 

He led Australia in the Test series against India and his remarks from behind the stumps and his banter with Rishabh Pant caught the eye of a large group of audience. He led Australia well but with the lack of two primary batters, Australia was defeated for the first time on their home soil by India. He led well in the Ashes and will be leading the side when India tours Australia in late 2020.