Published 09:19 IST, November 19th 2019
Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine spills the beans on his retirement
Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine has spilled the beans on his retirement plans and has revealed that this might be his last summer for international cricket
Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine has spilled the beans on his retirement plans and has revealed that this might be his last summer for international cricket with the side. Tim Paine, who etched his name in the records after leading Australia to retain the Ashes urn earlier this year, had assumed the role of the skipper during turbulent times when the Sandpapergate scandal rocked the Australian team. Taking over from Steve Smith, Tim Paine had quite a task on his hand and in the end, emerged as an able leader with the ability to marshall his troops. However, with the conclusion of Ashes, Tim Paine also spoke about when he was likely to bring the curtains down on his career.
Tim Paine hints at his retirement plans
“It might be (my last summer), I’m not too sure,” Paine told reporters. “But… I’m enjoying doing it. I feel good physically (and) mentally. So while that continues, I’m scoring enough runs and keeping well enough then I’d like to continue,” he added.
“Our goal is to get back to that number one ranking and we want to win that Test Championship,” he added. “To do that we’re going to have to be good enough to win in India and we’re going to have to be good enough to beat everyone, everywhere,” he concluded.
'Mental Well-being Is Our First Priority'
The Australia Test captain Tim Paine said that mental wellbeing is their first priority. Australia is going to play a two-Test series against Pakistan and Will Pucovski made himself unavailable for the Test squad in order to focus on his mental health. Apart from him, Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson have also taken a break from the game to deal with mental health issues. The first match between Australia and Pakistan will be played in Brisbane from November 21-25.
Speaking to the media, Tim Paine said, "He's (Pucovski) a great young kid and it's sad to see him going through this. We know how talented he is. I think making the right decision to step away and take care of himself and get himself healthy and in the right state of mind is going to be important because we think he's someone who's got a huge Test future."
Updated 09:35 IST, November 19th 2019