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Brave skipper pushes through the Paine

Australia's captain hit on already sore right thumb but plays on through the pain at the Wanderers

Australia captain Tim Paine has suffered an injury scare on day two of the fourth Test against South Africa, copping a painful blow to his right thumb while wicketkeeping.

Paine was hit while keeping up to stumps to Chadd Sayers in Johannesburg on Saturday, having misread a delivery that reared off the deck and beat the outside edge of Quinton de Kock's bat.

The Tasmanian was in obvious discomfort but waited until the end of the over before being assessed by team physio David Beakley.

He appeared to take a couple of painkillers before Beakley cleared him to stay on.

Image Id: 98688333619A4FF99FDB1FE8392E72C3 Image Caption: Paine needed assistance putting his gloves back on // cricket.com.au

Beakley and team doctor Richard Saw went out during the morning drinks break to check on Paine's sore digit, which he was experiencing trouble with even before today's blow; he attended Friday night's media conference with his right thumb in ice.

But Paine didn't even remove his gloves during the discussion with Beakley and Saw, confident he could carry on keeping.

Paine's career was derailed by a recurring injury to his right index finger that required seven rounds of surgery, but he has played every game for Australia's Test side since earning a shock Ashes recall last November.

An injury to Paine is the last thing Australia needs after a tumultuous week that saw him take over the captaincy after Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for 12 months.

Image Id: 59E09A5B21384F62B5E4BB471D0835ED Image Caption: Paine pushed through the injury on the second morning // cricket.com.au

Cricket Australia did not name a vice-captain for the fourth Test so it's unclear who would take over should Paine be forced to leave the field.

The nation's 46th Test captain has already implemented changes to the team's approach, having stopped their sledging and introduced a pre-game handshake with the Proteas on Friday.

It's not unusual for a keeper to break through the pain barrier and end their careers with mangled hands but Paine's history means there's always a sense of unease whenever he's struck on the right hand.

He still has eight pins, a metal plate and a piece of hip bone in his right index finger, that he says rarely feels right when he's keeping.

"Because of the way I catch, if I go fingers up it pretty much hits right on it. It hurts for a little bit and then it goes away," Paine said after his shock Ashes call-up last November.

"If I go to hit the ball really hard and I toe it, it tends to rattle it a little bit."

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, AB de Villiers.

Australia squad: Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test South Africa won by 322 runs. Scorecard

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage