Rick Ponting says door is open for Tim Paine to play BBL as former Test skipper returns to cricket

Australian Test cricket champion Ricky Ponting is eager for Tim Paine to return to the Big Bash League this season for Hobart with the disgraced former Test skipper to return to grade cricket tomorrow.

Paine has not played cricket since the married 37-year-old stepped down as Test captain 18 months ago following allegations of sending explicit texts, including a photo of his genitals, to a female colleague at Cricket Tasmania.

The wicketkeeper walked away from the sport in the lead up to the 2021 Ashes series against England when the sexting scandal at the end of 2017 became public.

Cricket Australia launched an investigation at the time and acquitted him of wrongdoing.

Paine will take the field for the University of Tasmania against New Town in Kingston on Sunday in a Premier League 50-over game.

The Hobart Hurricanes have one spot left on their squad and fellow Tasmanian and former Test captain Ricky Ponting, head of strategy for Hobart Hurricanes, has openly expressed his wish for Paine to re-enter the BBL franchise.

Paine and wife Bonnie look a little worse in wear after a night out at Pat Cummins and Becky Boston’s wedding in Byron Bay

Ponting was named head of strategy for the Hobart Hurricanes in June of this year, saying Paine at the time was a perfect fit for his vision of getting more Tasmanians to represent the BBL franchise.

“What I would like to achieve with the Hurricanes is to bring as many great Tasmanian people back around the franchise as possible,” Ponting said at the time.

“I think Tim Paine fits that mold perfectly. So if he’s ever ready to walk back with the purple shirt on, I’m sure many Tasmanians would want to see him there.”

Ponting will follow Paine’s return to cricket with an eagle eye and college coach Damien Wright said the former Test wicketkeeper was ready to make his return.

He said Paine is as fit as ever and mentally in a good place

“He is looking forward to playing and we are very happy to have him back,” said Wright.

“He’s as fit as he’s ever been. He is also in a very good place mentally. All reports show that he is training the house.

‘I see him quite regularly. He knows there’s hype around it. It’s a great story – he still has plenty of cricket in him, we believe.’

Paine and Ponting watch as the Big Bash League (BBL) Challenger Final cricket match between the Melbourne Stars and the Sydney Thunder at the 2020 Melbourne MCG

Paine has spent the past few months training with the Tasmanian Tigers squad as an uncontracted player, with coach Jeff Vaughan hinting that he was in the mix for selection into the Sheffield Shield.

The Tigers open their Shield season against Queensland on October 6.

Wright, who has played 123 first-class games in a career that has included Shield success with Tasmania, believes Paine will eventually return for the Tigers.

“If he’s available and ready to play, you’d have him on the team. It will just give the team the experience and passion he had with Tasmanian cricket,” Wright said.

“I really believe it will.”

Former Australian test captain Tim Paine takes the field during the second XI cricket match between Tasmania and South Australia at Lindisfarne Memorial Park in Hobart in 2021

Cricket Tasmania CEO Dom Baker has previously said the door remains open for Paine to return to the state league side as well, including the Sheffield Shield.

Baker said Paine was a much-loved member of the organization and, after winning two Shield titles, deserved to be “welcomed back into the fold.”

“It was just great to see him come into my office and ask for permission to train. He started here all those years ago as a 16-year-old and has been part of our cricket ever since,” he said.

“He trains as a non-contracted player to get fit for club cricket, but if he proves to be anywhere near his best, expect to see him play state cricket again.”