The wicketkeeper had been suffering from pain in his neck and left arm due to a bulging disc, which necessitated surgery this week. To correct the problem, surgeons had to carve a hole in his throat.
The 36-year-old will take a two-week break before starting recovery to guarantee he is ready to lead Australia against England on December 8 at the Gabba.
“They’ve basically made a large hole in my throat, shifted my voice box to the side, and gone in that direction. It’s a less intrusive method.” He said this on his SEN radio show.
Paine stated he is “very sore,” but after consulting with other players who have had similar surgery, he is optimistic about his playing future.
Paine stated he is “pretty sore,” but after consulting with other players who have had similar surgery, he is hopeful about his playing future.
Within eight weeks, former NRL and Wallabies great Matt Rogers and recently retired Melbourne AFL captain Nathan Jones was back on the field.
“It was getting to that point where I simply didn’t get it done and risked being right through the Ashes, or I got it done now and risked being right through the Ashes,” Paine said. “After the surgeon had a look inside, I was rather happy with my selection.”
“The first Test is on December 8, and I’m convinced I’ll be ready to go before then.”
“Hopefully, I’ll get a Shield game in for Tassie before then, and being on the winning end of a third Ashes victory would be incredible. After my international career, I hope to continue playing for Tasmania. Having it fixed and out of the way was the best long-term decision. I’ve had plenty of naysayers during my career, so that’s nothing new to me; I’ll use it as an incentive to get back out.”
England has expressed major reservations about the conditions in which the players will be obliged to live during the Ashes series, fueling speculation that the series will proceed as planned. But, according to Paine, the situation will not be quite as awful as the tourists fear.
“The main stuff with the English guys is around the protocols with quarantine but we’re not asking them to do anything that we won’t be doing,” Paine said.
“I think if we can get them out here they’ll realize the conditions during Australia’s Covid hubs are pretty good and nothing to worry about.” As per Espncricinfo.
