We love playing at home

Hobart Tests special, says Bailey Paine’s Tassie dream a reality

TASMANIAN cricketers cherish playing in their home state because of the infrequency of the opportunity compared to their interstate counterparts, the last local to captain Australia in Hobart says.

George Bailey twice donned national colours at Blundstone Arena during his international career, an ODI against Sri Lanka in January 2013 and again 12 months later in a T20 against England.

The now national selector captained on both occasions and would have led a third match in 2015 against India only to be suspended for a slow over rate in the previous ODI.

With current Test skipper Tim Paine now set to finally break his international hometown duck when Afghanistan visits in November — the first Test in the state since 2016 — Bailey said it will be a moment his close friend will never forget.

“Playing international cricket and being able to get in front of some of your closest family and friends is really special,” Bailey told the Mercury.

“Captaining that T20 against England was an absolute highlight, that series in particular I felt like we really dominated a team, we played some really good T20 cricket.

“Off the top of my head it might have been a bloke by the name of Chris Lynn’s debut, I think I remember batting with him and being in a little bit of awe on how hard he hit the ball.

“There is no doubt you want to do well, it is not something Tasmanian players have had the opportunity to do all that frequently.

“It will be phenomenal for him (Paine), every Test is so vital but given the importance of the summer and the six Tests across the summer, it is going to be an absolutely huge game.”

The Afghanistan Test — the first between the two nations — will kickstart a blockbuster international schedule which sees Australia’s defence of the Ashes against England.

And despite several multiformat players likely to have limited red-ball preparations due to the T20 World Cup, Bailey predicts a full-strength outfit to take the park, urging Tasmanian fans to show their support.

“It is exciting to have the opportunity to play a Test, that’s a real treat and hopefully something the public will embrace. That’s been one of the criticisms in the past, when we have had the opportunity to have international games, the public haven’t really voted with their feet,’’ he said.

“Rather than be bitter about what you do or don’t get, I’d rather think it is exciting to embrace the ones you do get and make sure you get around it.

“Given what those players (such as David Warner, Steve Smith and Pat Cummins) will have pre and the importance of the Ashes series, I would envisage it being a pretty strong team.”

TEST skipper Tim Paine has thrown his support behind Steve Smith succeeding him as Australia’s next captain and he could be in charge after the Ashes this summer.

Smith was stripped of the captaincy for his involvement in the sandpaper scandal in South Africa in 2018 and his punishment also included a 12month playing ban.

He returned to star in the 2019 Ashes series in England and after spending two more years biding his time, playing down his leadership ambitions, Smith has finally declared he would like to captain Australia again.

“I’ve certainly had a lot of time to think about it and I guess now I’ve got to a point where if the opportunity did come up again, I would be keen,” Smith said in March.

Paine, who was thrust in to the captaincy after the scandal and has been in change for 23 Tests, revealed on Wednesday night that he would support Smith as his successor.

“I don’t make that decision but the time I played with Steve as captain he was excellent. Certainly tactically he is as good as you get,” Paine said speaking at a function for the Chappell Foundation.

“He’s probably a bit like me when I was at the start of my captaincy journey in Tasmania – he was thrown into a very big role at a very, very young age and he probably wasn’t quite ready for it. But by the time I came in he was growing into that role and getting better and better.

“Then obviously South Africa events happened and he’s not doing it anymore.

“But yeah I would support him getting that job again.”

Paine, 37 in December, said he wants to lead Australia at least through the upcoming Ashes series at home.

This summer also includes a one-off Test set to be in his home town of Hobart against Afghanistan.

But he won’t lock himself to anything beyond that meaning Smith could, should the Cricket Australia board approve, be back in charge soon.

“(I want to captain) at least another six Tests. If I feel like the time is right and we’ve beaten the Poms 5-0, what a way to go out,” Paine said.

“But it might be a tight series and we might be chasing 300 on the last day and I’m 100 not out and hit the winning runs – then I might go again.”