Paine back keeping and hopes to play Shield and Marsh Cup games ahead of the Ashes
Australia Test captain Tim Paine is hopeful he could play a Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup game for Tasmania ahead of the first Ashes Test after he returned to wicketkeeping for the first time since neck surgery in September.
Paine has been slowly recovering since having invasive surgery to repair a bulging disk in his neck.
He revealed on his weekly radio spot with SEN Hobart that he was able to keep at training on Thursday and was due to have another session on Friday but has opted to rest after pulling up stiff.
"I had a decent catch yesterday, [which was] pretty good," Paine said. "I had a bit of a dive around yesterday, so I'm a little bit stiff today.
"I was going to have a catch with the great Tim Coyle, the former Tasmanian coach...but I had to pull the pin on that just to give myself a bit of time to rest up, I don't want to be doing too much back-to-back days.
"It's nothing to worry about, just a bit of stiffness having had a few months off. I've pulled up a bit sore. But yesterday was as I would train normally, so it's a really good sign that I got through that and I'm looking forward to playing a game of cricket in the coming weeks."
Cricket Australia confirmed on Friday the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Hobart has been formally postponed and announced a set of new Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup fixtures for late November, as well as details on Australia and England's intrasquad warm-up matches.
Tasmania host South Australia in a Shield clash starting on November 10 but Paine won't be ready to play in that. But CA confirmed Tasmania would play Western Australia in the Shield starting on November 21 and a March Cup game on November 26 at Blundstone Arena. Australia will then hold a three-day intrasquad clash up in Brisbane at Redlands on December 1-3.
Paine is hopeful he could have at least a club game and a 2nd XI fixture for Tasmania leading into those three matches.
"Ideally, I'd like to play a club game, a 2nd XI game, a Shield game, and a one-dayer for Tassie in late November and then go up to Queensland," Paine said. "Potentially I'm getting two, three or four games of cricket in before that first Test which would be a really good result."
New South Wales and Victoria are set to play a third straight Sheffield Shield game at the SCG starting on November 19. However, it is unlikely to feature any of Australia's extended Test squad members given the likes of Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott, Marcus Harris and Nic Maddinson will need to do 14 days quarantine in Queensland ahead of the first Test on December 8 and the four-day Australia A clash with England Lions starting on December 9.
Australia are set to name a squad of up to 25 players for the intrasquad game on December 1. The team for the first Test will be selected after that game with the remainder set to play against the England Lions.
Marsh Sheffield Shield
November 19-22: New South Wales vs Victoria - SCG
November 21-24: Tasmania vs Western Australia - Blundstone Arena
November 23-26: South Australia vs Queensland - Adelaide Oval or Karen Rolton Oval
Marsh One-Day Cup
November 24: New South Wales vs Victoria - SCG
November 26: Tasmania vs Western Australia - Blundstone Arena (Day-night)
November 28: South Australia vs Queensland - Adelaide Oval
Tour Matches
November 23-25: England vs England Lions - Redlands, Brisbane
November 30 - December 3: England vs England Lions - Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane
December 1-3: Australia intrasquad match - Redlands, Brisbane
December 9-12: Australia A vs England Lions - Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane