Tim Paine hoping to prolong Test career but admits Australian summer could be his last

The wicketkeeper, who will turn 35 before the end of 2019, has been credited by many with masterminding Australia’s revival – both in terms of on-field results and the team’s culture

Tim Paine has admitted that the upcoming Australian summer could be his last as captain of the national team.

The wicketkeeper, who will turn 35 before the end of 2019, has been credited by many with masterminding Australia’s revival – both in terms of on-field results and the team’s culture – in the wake of the sandpaper scandal that saw David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft handed long-term suspensions by Cricket Australia, with the governing body also undergoing an overhaul.

He struggled for runs during the Ashes series and a ban placed on Smith captaining the side comes to an end early in 2020, leading to speculation about whether the former skipper might reclaim the role he lost for his part in the Cape Town episode.

In September, however, Paine became the first Australia captain since Steve Waugh in 2001 to leave an Ashes series in England with the urn in Australian hands. He has set his sights on competing at the top end of the inaugural World Test Championship, with Australia well-placed to challenge India, who lead the rankings, ahead of a summer of cricket on home soil.

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought. It might be. I’m not too sure. I haven’t looked at it that way at the moment,” said Paine, of whether this season could be his last in Australia’s leading role.

“But I’m enjoying doing it. I feel good physically. I feel good mentally, so while that continues and I’m scoring enough runs and keeping well enough then I’d like to continue.

“But I know when you get to my age that can change really quickly. I’m not going to look too far ahead. I’m really looking forward to this summer.

“Beyond that I haven’t looked too far. I’ll stop when I’m ready to stop, or when Justin [Langer] and ‘Cracker’ [Trevor Hohns, chairman of selectors] tell me that I am and when that time comes, I am ready for it.”

^{Tim Paine has only played three games for Tasmania this season}

Paine has played just three first-class games for Tasmania since returning to domestic cricket after an arduous – and ultimately successful – summer. He is yet to play a white-ball game and that may be set to continue, with the wicketkeeper looking to preserve his body in an attempt to prolong his international career.

“I want to play as much Test cricket as I can so it’s important for me that I’m really fresh mentally and physically because I know as soon as I hit the Test summer my workload from a cricket sense and an off-field sense goes through the roof,” he added.

“That was one of the reasons why I missed a game for Tasmania – to have a week at home and not because I was feeling tired or had injury concerns, it was me pre-empting what I know is coming up in the next few months and making sure that I can give my best to my game and myself and to my family and my team for this whole summer.

“Our goal is to get back to that No.1 ranking and we want to win that Test championship. It’s an exciting period and I’m looking forward to being part of the start of that and there is no end point at the moment.”

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