Former Australia Skipper Tim Paine Retires from First-class Cricket

Former Australia Test skipper Tim Paine has decided to call time on his first-class career following a dull draw between Tasmania and Queensland in the final Sheffield Shield round on Friday. Paine made no formal announcement regarding his retirement. It is being learnt that the wicketkeeper had informed his side Tasmania that the fixture against Queensland would be the final one of his vast first-class career.

The 38-year-old was, quite rightfully, given a guard of honour, following the inconclusive Sheffield Shield encounters at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Australia. Later, Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk conveyed the news of Paine’s retirement.

“He’s [Tim Paine] been a phenomenal player. I think it’s around 22 years of professional cricket. It’s an incredible effort to have the longevity that he’s had. He’s certainly going to be missed behind the stumps. I certainly won’t play, I’m sure a lot of guys who are playing now will say that there will never be another keeper as good as Tim Paine in Australia. So we’ve been incredibly blessed down here. And we wish him all the best in whatever he chooses going forward,” Jordan Silk was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

In the final first-class match of his career, Tim Paine managed to score 42 against Queensland in the first innings. He made his first-class debut in December 2005 during a game against South Australia. The Tasmania-born will cap off his first-class career with 6490 runs and 154 games to his name. The 38-year-old notched up three centuries and 35 half-centuries in first-class cricket. He also holds the record for most dismissals by a Tasmania wicketkeeper in the history of Shield cricket. With 296 dismissals under his belt, Paine is set to retire at the 12th spot on the list of Shield wicketkeeping dismissals.

In the international circuit, Tim Paine made his debut against England in a T20I match against England at Old Trafford in August 2009. Overall, he has represented Australia in 35 Tests, as many ODIs and 12 T20Is.

Tim Paine was appointed Australia’s Test captain following the infamous Sandpaper saga in South Africa in 2018. He led the Aussies in 23 Tests between 2018 and 2021. Paine’s Test career came to a premature end after it was revealed that he was involved in a sexting scandal back in 2017.

Paine, however, was cleared of any wrongdoing by both Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania. Paine last represented Australia in Tests in January 2021.

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