‘Phone has been going berserk’: Tim Paine hints at next move after ‘emotional’ first-class retirement

Former Australian captain Tim Paine has spoken publicly for the first time since his retirement, revealing he might continue his playing career at a local level next summer.

The 38-year-old wicketkeeper played his final Sheffield Shield match for Tasmania last week, exiting Blundstone Arena to a guard of honour from teammates and opposition following a draw against Queensland.

Paine finished his first-class career with 296 dismissals, a Tasmanian record, in 95 Sheffield Shield matches after making his debut against South Australia in 2005.

“It makes me really proud … it’s been really nice,” he told reporters in Hobart on Thursday.

“My phone has been going berserk, from all around the world as well, which is nice.

“At times (I’ve been) a bit emotional reading some of the messages and social media stuff people have sent me as it’s gone by really, really quickly.

“It’s an emotional time when you move on from something that you love doing and care deeply about, but I’ll still be involved in the game of cricket.”

Paine will captain University in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League two-day final at Blundstone Arena this week having finished the season with the highest first-grade batting average, scoring 381 runs at 95.25.

The veteran gloveman suggested he wanted to play another season at grade level, hinting he was eyeing a potential coaching gig with the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

“I’d be surprised if I wasn’t playing next year in some capacity,” Paine said.

“It’ll be dependent on availability and what I’m doing next year, but certainly when I get the opportunity I’ll be turning up.

“I haven’t got anything locked in yet and I’m probably going to have the next three or four months off, but I’ve had some small discussions with Cricket Tasmania, and I’ve had some discussions with some other people and some other industries as well.

“I’m not going to rush into what that looks like but as I’ve spoken a lot about in my career, I’m passionate about Tasmanian cricket and I’m sure we’ll work something out.”

Paine scored 4114 Sheffield Shield runs at 28.17, peeling off three centuries and 21 fifties. He also represented Australia in 35 Tests, serving as captain for 23 matches between 2018 and 2021.

The right-hander won two Sheffield Shield titles with Tasmania, including the state’s maiden triumph in 2007. He captained the Tigers in 18 Sheffield Shield matches between 2010 and 2021, winning seven.

After stepping down from the Test side in the wake of revelations he sent explicit messages to a Cricket Tasmania employee, Paine was not offered a state contract ahead of the 2022/23 summer. However, he was picked for Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield opener against Queensland after stepping away from the sport for 10 months, playing seven first-class matches this season.

“No one is perfect and I certainly made some mistakes along the way,” Paine said.

“But I think people remember the majority of that journey being a pretty positive time, so I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved in Tasmanian and Australian cricket.

“People always say to you it goes by really quickly when you’re done, and I was always the kid in the back of the room who didn’t want to hear it, but it truly does, 22 years have flown by.

“But I’ve loved coming back to my club and helping out and hopefully get some kids from Tassie being able to achieve what I’ve achieved as well.”