Tim Paine is likely to miss the Australia’s pre-season camp in Brisbane – his wife Bonnie and he are expecting their second child – but the captain is hopeful he’ll be available to lead Australia in the first Test against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, starting October 7 in Dubai.
The baby is expected in the next 10-odd days, and Paine, who took over captaincy from the suspended Steve Smith wants his family settled before he leaves on cricket duties.
“The plan is for me to stay home, get them home and settled in and then I’ll leave from here,” he said.
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Paine took over captaincy from Smith in March following the ball-tampering incident[/caption]
“I should be okay. We are hoping in the next 10 days we will probably have him (the baby). That will give me a week at home before I head off after that.”
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Paine endured a tough initiation to his new role, losing his first six international matches at the helm. He captained in the fourth Test on the South Africa tour and has led in a five-match ODI series against England.
He’ll have an opportunity to break the duck – Australia play two Tests against Pakistan in the UAE – but it promises to be a difficult challenge, given they lost both Tests the last time they toured in 2014.
“It will be great to be back out playing. It’s going to be a huge challenge – we haven’t had a lot of success playing in the sub-continent. It’s not something we are worried about. It’s a huge opportunity and great place to start if we can go over there and play well and win a series,” he said.
