Paine suffering, but battling on

TIM Paine has allayed fears over his damaged finger, with the Australian wicketkeeper confident he’s in no doubt for the third Test in Perth.

The tough-as-nails Tasmanian declared he would simply be “getting on with it” despite the excruciating pain he suffered while batting on day two, when he copped one particularly nasty blow to the right index finger that’s plagued him for his whole career.

Paine admits he was alarmed when he was struck for a second time on the finger that has seven metallic plates and pins already inserted in it, but insists he has pulled up fine.

“It’s fine. Obviously I got a couple of blows on it but it’s OK,” Paine told ABC Grandstand. “I have been reminded by Hadds (fielding coach, Brad Haddin) that I’m a wicketkeeper and we just get on with it, so that is what I will be doing. The second one yesterday, it got me pretty flush, so I was a bit worried. But it has pulled up fine.”

Paine ended Australia’s game of wicketkeeping musical chairs with a superb knock of 57 in Adelaide.

Selectors didn’t have a single keeper who had made enough runs to knock the door down for selection for the Ashes, and so backed in 32year-old Paine, who didn’t have a great record with the bat, but who looked in good touch to start the season.

Paine yesterday showed he has the skill to make Australia’s lower order sing.

“I just tried to be as positive as I can, I think that is the role of wicketkeepers, to try and grab some momentum,” he said.

“At 5-210, the game was evenly poised, and I thought if I could get them on the back foot a little bit it might make things easier and it worked out OK. I have certainly improved. I have done a lot of work with a sports psych.

“I did battle drastically for a couple of years … I’m certainly on the way and have got more method about my batting and have got much more control about my batting.”