Tim Paine to undergo neck surgery ahead of The Ashes

Australia Test captain Tim Paine is set to undergo neck surgery on Tuesday (September 14) to get rid of the nagging pain in the neck that has prevented him from training full-fledged. He is however confident of returning to full fitness for the Ashes, starting December 8 at The Gabba.

"The consensus of the spinal surgeon and the CA medical team was to have the surgery now which will allow plenty of time to fully prepare for the summer," Paine was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"I expect to be able to restart physical activity by the end of this month and be back in full training in October. I will be ready to go by the first Test and am very much looking forward to what will be a huge summer," the Australia skipper added.

Paine is no stranger to surgeries. He has had seven surgeries on his finger, which had initially put his career in jeopardy. But he made an unexpected return to the Test side in 2017 and within a year, he was bestowed with the opportunity to lead his country.

The Ashes urn is currently with Australia after Paine led his side to a 2-2 scoreline in England in 2019.