'Sore' Paine rested from Shield clash

Test captain Tim Paine has been rested by Tasmania for their upcoming JLT Sheffield Shield game against Victoria as a precaution.

Tigers coach Adam Griffith says Paine pulled up "a bit sore" from this week's victory over South Australia in Adelaide, opting not to play him in their match in Melbourne beginning Tuesday.

Griffith stressed the injury to Paine is not serious, though it comes after the wicketkeeper was briefly ill with a virus during the home summer – his maiden campaign on home soil as national captain.

Paine is only expected to miss one game.

"He's still getting over a really long summer, both mentally and physically," Griffith explained. "He just wasn't moving right in Adelaide, he was still a bit sore.

"It's more of a management thing – it's not a major injury or anything.

"The prudent thing for us to do with a lot of players – we've got four, maybe five shield games in a short space of time (after the KFC BBL break) – we want to make sure we're playing our best cricket at the end of the season.

"We haven’t had him all the time anyway. It just was a really good opportunity for us – we had planned to give him a spell at  some stage to keep him fresh.

"The workload he's had – he's a bit sore, he had that virus at the end of the Test series. It's an opportunity for him to stay home and rest up and get right for the back-end.

"If it was the final Ashes Test and he needed to win it to win the Ashes, he could play. But we've got to think about the big picture and make sure we don't push all our players too far and they break."

Tasmania captain Matthew Wade is expected to take the gloves in his absence, while paceman Alex Pyecroft has been omitted. Uncapped batsman Sean Willis and left-arm quick Sam Rainbird have been named in a 13-man squad.

Victoria will name their squad in the coming days.

Now solely a Test specialist, Paine said earlier this week he's putting everything into preparing for this year's Ashes and hopes to tune up for the series by playing some part in the Australia A tour of the United Kingdom that precedes the five-Test campaign.

"I'm looking at a few things as to how I might go about it because I'm certainly not getting any younger," Paine said.

"It (an Ashes tour) is such a massive moment for anyone in Australian cricket, and for me it will definitely be the one and only chance I get to go and play in an Ashes series in England.

"You can't help but be excited by the prospect of it, but I've got to concentrate on the here and now a bit more first.

"So it's a fine balance for me to stay fresh, but to also be really well prepared as well, because it is a one-off chance for me to go over and do it.

"I want to make sure I'm absolutely cherry ripe by the time that Ashes comes around, but I want to be feeling really good and really confident about my skills as well.

"I'll be looking to play plenty of cricket if I can, and hopefully do a little bit of that on the A-trip."

Tasmania squad to play Victoria: Matthew Wade (c), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Sam Rainbird, Tom Rogers, Jordan Silk, Charlie Wakim, Sean Willis.

JLT Sheffield Shield Round 8

Queensland v NSW at the Gabba, March 3-6

Western Australia v South Australia at the WACA Ground, March 3-6

Victoria v Tasmania at the Junction Oval, March 5-8