Tim Paine targeting mid-November return to cricket field after successful neck operation

Australia Test skipper Tim Paine, who is in a race against time to be fully fit in time for the Ashes after undergoing neck surgery, has revealed that he is targeting a mid-November return to the cricket field, with Tasmania, in his quest to recover in time for the five-Test series.

Paine underwent surgery in September to ‘to fix a pinched nerve’ in his neck and is currently rehabbing after the successful procedure. 

Speaking to SEN, the Aussie Test skipper revealed that he had a hit with the bat on Thursday, but it is only targeting a mid-November return to competitive cricket.

"I had a little bit of a hit on the bowling machine (on Thursday)," Paine told SEN, reported cricket.com.au.

"Tuesday next week is pretty much the six-week mark (since surgery), where I can start to look up, which is obviously a key part of wicketkeeping.

"If I squat down, I need to be able to tilt my head up so I can see the ball coming.

"Hopefully I'll get the all-clear on Tuesday and I can start wicketkeeping practice, albeit a pretty low intensity for a week or two.

"But I'm looking to hopefully play in a second XI game for Tasmania in mid-November and a Sheffield Shield game after that so that will give me a decent lead-in of two or three weeks of proper cricket before the first Test."

Paine, incidentally, after a seven-year hiatus, made his Test comeback in 2017 in the home Ashes, where he was surprisingly picked ahead of Matthew Wade. The 36-year-old has not missed a single Test since then, with him also subsequently taking over captaincy duties post the infamous Sandpaper Gate.