AP, Sydney :
Spurned by his own state, wicketkeeper Tim Paine considered retirement before winning a surprising recall to Australia’s squad for the first two Ashes tests against England.
It was the most surprising of the changes announced Friday, which also included Cameron Bancroft selected to make his test debut at the expense of Matthew Renshaw, Shaun Marsh getting a recall in favor of Glenn Maxwell and Chadd Sayers being included among the 13-man squad and most likely as an option for the second test in Adelaide.
Paine missed selection for Tasmania state at the start of the season and, about to become a father for the first time, thought of quitting cricket to take a job with equipment manufacturer Kookaburra.
But the 32-year-old Paine was handed a lifeline when he was included in a Cricket Australia XI to play England in warmup matches. His half-century against the tourists and 71 in a domestic first-class game against Victoria propelled him into the test side ahead of incumbent Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill, the previously more expected replacement.
Spurned by his own state, wicketkeeper Tim Paine considered retirement before winning a surprising recall to Australia’s squad for the first two Ashes tests against England.
It was the most surprising of the changes announced Friday, which also included Cameron Bancroft selected to make his test debut at the expense of Matthew Renshaw, Shaun Marsh getting a recall in favor of Glenn Maxwell and Chadd Sayers being included among the 13-man squad and most likely as an option for the second test in Adelaide.
Paine missed selection for Tasmania state at the start of the season and, about to become a father for the first time, thought of quitting cricket to take a job with equipment manufacturer Kookaburra.
But the 32-year-old Paine was handed a lifeline when he was included in a Cricket Australia XI to play England in warmup matches. His half-century against the tourists and 71 in a domestic first-class game against Victoria propelled him into the test side ahead of incumbent Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill, the previously more expected replacement.
