Paine to make shock top-level cricket comeback

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine volition marque his comeback to top-level cricket connected Thursday, aft being named successful Tasmania's squad for the Sheffield Shield lucifer with Queensland.

Paine hasn't played a archetypal people lucifer since April 2021. He quit the Test captaincy connected the eve of the 2021-22 Ashes bid aft revelations of a substance connection ungraded dating backmost to 2017, and announced soon aft that he'd instrumentality an indefinite interruption from the game.

Paine turned retired for his nine broadside University connected Sunday, taking a drawback and scoring an unbeaten 20 successful his side's triumph implicit New Town successful a one-day match.

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The 37-year-old wasn't named successful Tasmania's database of 24 contracted players successful May, but has been grooming with the squad arsenic an uncontracted player.

"It was unanimous that everyone wanted 1 of the world's champion wicketkeepers successful our side," Tasmanian manager Jeff Vaughan said.

Tim Paine volition marque his instrumentality for Tasmania against Queensland. (Getty)

"Physically he's astir apt successful the top spot of his career, emotionally he's sound.

"He's ticked each of the boxes."

Hobart besides has an unfastened spot successful its BBL squad, with the club's caput of strategy, Ricky Ponting, keen for Paine to rejoin the Hurricanes, having played the past of his 42 matches successful 2018.

Tasmania volition beryllium without injured off-season signing Billy Stanlake for the match, which volition beryllium played astatine the Gabba.

Queensland squad: Usman Khawaja (c), James Bazley, Joe Burns, Jack Clayton, Blake Edwards, Marnus Labuschagne, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson.

Tasmania squad: Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk (c), Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster.

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