“Following discussions over the last 24 hours, Tim Paine has notified Cricket Tasmania that he would be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket for the foreseeable future,” according to a statement released by Cricket Tasmania on Friday.
Tim will be unavailable for selection for today’s Marsh One-Day Cup match against Western Australia due to his choice. Charlie Wakim will take his spot in the squad.
Over the summer, Cricket Tasmania will continue to provide professional and personal assistance to Tim and his family.”
With the Ashes starting on December 8, Australia will almost probably require a replacement wicket-keeper, with Alex Carey and Josh Inglis the frontrunners to make their debut.
After a landmark investigation into claims of wrongdoing in 2017, Paine resigned as Australia’s Men’s Test captain last week. Paine was cleared of any wrongdoing at the time but stepped down as captain because he didn’t want to “become an unwelcome distraction to the team ahead of what is a vital Ashes series,” as he put it.
He was still available for national selection at the time, barring fitness, since the 36-year-old was recovering from neck surgery for a bulging disc.
During the week, he returned to playing for Tasmania’s second XI, and he was scheduled to play a one-day match for Tasmania on Saturday.
“We recognize that Tim and his family are going through a very difficult period, and we are dedicated to helping them,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said. “We accept and understand Tim’s decision to take a sabbatical to focus on his and his family’s well-being at this time.
“In the next days, the National Selection Panel will meet to finalize the squad before of the first Ashes Test on December 8.”