Canes on track without Paine

THE lure to include Test skipper Tim Paine for Thursday night’s Big Bash semi-final might be tempting, but veteran George Bailey backs the current Hobart group to deliver a maiden T20 title.

Paine, who has scored the third most runs for the Hurricanes (1198) behind D’Arcy Short (1372) and Bailey (1349), has not featured in this year’s tournament because of a taxing six-Test summer.

However, he is available for selection — the Sydney Thunder rushed back Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummins for the clash in Canberra on Saturday night — while Nathan Lyon suited up for the Sydney Sixers yesterday.

Despite Caleb Jewell’s impressive BBL campaign, which included a blistering 61 not out against the Brisbane Heat, Paine could be an option to slot into No.3 behind the dynamic opening duo of Short and Matthew Wade. But Bailey believes it would be a tough ask for the gloveman to obtain his groove in the Twenty20 format and declared the team’s success this year has been built on a stable starting XI.

“Our batting group has been unbelievably consistent, so it would be a big ask for him to come in,” Bailey said after producing his third half- century of the tournament at Manuka Oval.

“He has been focused on playing red-ball cricket for a fair bit of time, so it is a big ask to come in and try and pick up the intensity and format of T20 cricket.

“We have had some guys in really good form, we built some confidence, up until the last few games with Johan [Botha] leaving and Jimmy [Faulkner] getting injured, we have had a really settled team and settled line-up and structure.

“I think that’s all helped, guys know their roles real well.”

Having been given the past two games off to recover from knee soreness, Hurricanes leading wicket-taker Faulkner will return for the semi at Blundstone Arena, with David Moody likely to make way.

Hobart’s bowlers have been targeted in four of the past five matches in their bowling powerplay — coughing up 280 runs in that period — and Bailey expects the Melbourne Stars to again come hard on Thursday.

“I imagine whoever we play on Thursday, the team will try and do that to us and put us on the back foot.

“All the form, good or bad, doesn’t matter, whoever finishes fourth, it will be much the same for them.”