MELBOURNE: Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine ended his cricket career with little fanfare on Friday after Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland ended in a draw at the Bellerive Oval.

Wicket-keeper Paine played 35 Tests for Australia, including 23 as skipper — winning 11, losing eight and drawing four — after Steve Smith was stripped of the role following a ball-tampering scandal during the team’s 2018 tour of South Africa.

Paine, credited with helping rebuild Australian cricket’s reputation, quit the Test captaincy in November 2021 following revelations that he was investigated in 2018 for sending lewd text messages to a female former receptionist at state governing body Cricket Tasmania.

He subsequently withdrew from the game and took a mental health break for nearly a year before returning to play domestic cricket.

The 38-year-old, who also played 35 One-Day Internationals, was given a guard of honour as he left Bellerive Oval and Tasmania captain Jordan Silk confirmed Paine had ended his first-class career.

Australia regained the Ashes in England in 2019 under Paine’s leadership, in what was otherwise a turbulent period for the Test side.

Current Test skipper Pat Cummins took over from Paine in November 2021, describing him at the time as a “well-loved and respected figure of our team”.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2023