Surgery clouds Paine’s Ashes availability

TEST captain Tim Paine is in a race against time to be fit for the Ashes as he faces surgery on a chronic neck injury.

It is understood a decision was made to operate on the 36year-old this week to give him the best chance of recovery.

Paine has been unable to train for six weeks and is reportedly in major discomfort. It had been hoped that rest and treatment would fix the problem, but it is getting worse.

The Aussie captain has a bone spur in his spinal column that must be operated on.

It is restricting his movement and has kept him from any training.

Dual international Matt Rogers had similar surgery in 2006, as did Melbourne Demons AFL player Nathan Jones in 2016.

Both made full recoveries and reported a new lease of life after the procedure.

Doctors are hopeful Paine will be training within a month and will be fit to play in two weeks, leaving him four weeks to prepare for the summer.

Paine has played 35 Tests after making a late-career return to the team, but the back end of his career has been frustrated by Australia’s absence from the Test arena.

Australia has played just four Tests since the 2019 Ashes, while England has played 20 in the past 18 months.

If Paine was playing for England in the past two years, he would have had the opportunity to play his 50th Test by now.

The Australians look set to drop the Afghanistan Test from this summer’s calendar, robbing him of another opportunity.