Paine excited about new challenge

dubai — Even in his wildest dreams, Tim Paine could have never imagined becoming Australia’s full-time captain.

The wicketkeeper-batsman will start a new chapter in his career when he leads Australia in the first match of the two-Test series against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.

Paine found himself in the spotlight after the infamous balltampering scandal in South Africa led to the suspension of Steve Smith and David Warner.

For someone who failed to come of Brad Haddin’s shadow for a long time, Paine was suddenly asked to lead a demoralised Australian team in the fourth Test against South Africa in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal.

Australia lost that match by 492 runs. But now, the Baggy Greens look to write a new chapter in their history under Paine.

“I think what happened was unfortunate but we have to move on. We are fortunate enough to getting back together after what happened. It’s a great opportunity for some new players, new group of players, new coach, but still the Australian team hasn’t changed,” the 33-year-old player told reporters at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

The crisis has also given several players a rare opportunity to play Test cricket. One such player is Aaron Finch, the limited-overs specialist who played a key role in Australia’s triumph at the 2015 World Cup on home soil.

The other two debutantes are middle-order batsmen Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne. “It’s really exciting when you have three guys making debut in the next couple of days. It’s a little bit of a new era but we are hopeful that the guys who were involved will be back in the next six or eight months,” Paine said.