After surgery to fix a pinched nerve in his neck in September, Australian Test captain Tim Paine is hoping for a quick recovery from his doctors so he can lead his team during the Ashes, which begin on December 8 in Brisbane.
Paine, who recently sparked controversy with a harsh remark directed at England’s touring team, is hoping to play for Tasmania soon after beginning light training.
“I had a little bit of a hit on the bowling machine (on October 21),” he told SEN on Friday.
“Tuesday next week is pretty much the six-week mark (since surgery), where I can start to look up, which is obviously a key part of wicket keeping. If I squat down, I need to be able to tilt my head up so I can see the ball coming,” added the wicketkeeper-batter.
“Hopefully I’ll get the all-clear on Tuesday (October 26) and I can start wicket keeping practice, albeit a pretty low intensity for a week or two. But I’m looking to hopefully play in a second XI game for Tasmania in mid-November and a Sheffield Shield game after that so that will give me a decent lead-in of two or three weeks of proper cricket before the first Test,” he said.
Paine, 36, was reinstated to the Test side in 2017 after a nearly seven-year layoff. He has played 31 consecutive matches.
In mid-September, Paine underwent invasive neck surgery to correct a bulging disc that had been causing him difficulty in his left arm and neck. The bulging disc was pressing on the nerve canal on the left side of the body, causing pain.
(With IANS inputs)