Long touted as a future Test star, Tim Paine was struck down with the recurrence of a serious finger injury just as his international career was taking off.

After receiving a rookie contract with Tasmania at the age of 16, Paine was elevated into the Australian side on the back of impressive performances in both one-day and first-class cricket. He made his ODI debut in August 2009 against Scotland, replacing the injured Brad Haddin, and a month later scored 111 against England at Trent Bridge.

Later that year, Paine was part of his side’s successful Champions Trophy campaign in South Africa.

He made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2010 and scored an impressive 92 against India in Mohali in October, but his career was derailed just a month later when he suffered a horror finger injury. After five operations and fears that his career was over, Paine returned for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes after missing almost two full seasons.

Paine completed a stunning return to international cricket for the 2017-18 Ashes series before unexpectedly becoming captain of the Test team during the 2019 series in South Africa.