A solid top-order batsman and wicketkeeper, Tim Paine was earmarked as next in line behind Brad Haddin when he was picked in Australia's one-day squad to tour England in 2009. It came after a strong Australia A series, in which Paine made 134 opening the batting against Pakistan A to confirm his limited-overs abilities. He quickly moved ahead of Graham Manou and Chris Hartley to become the full-time understudy and was part of the Test squad to face Pakistan in 2010. He did well, grabbing 11 catches and a smart legside stumping in the two matches, and contributed useful runs, with a high of 47 at Lord's.

Chosen to open in his second ODI, Paine started to shine as an international player a couple of matches later when he recorded his first century against England, with 111 at Trent Bridge. Since then he has been a steady contributor as he learns the game whenever Haddin is away. An elbow problem kept Haddin at home and allowed Paine a lengthy chance to audition for the gloves in the United Kingdom in 2010. It was the first time an understudy had been granted so much time in Tests since Ian Healy debuted in 1988-89.

Paine already knows how quickly the hard-won position can be lost after breaking his finger in India last year, an injury which provided Manou with another chance. It wasn't costly to his international ambitions, but it contributed to a quiet home summer with the bat, although he did collect a hundred in Tasmania's FR Cup final victory. In 2008-09, Paine confirmed his place as the state's wicketkeeper in all formats after battling with Sean Clingeleffer for the Sheffield Shield berth. He scored 445 Shield runs at 29.66 and collected 42 dismissals and his importance to the team was recognised when he was named Tasmania's vice-captain for 2009-10. Paine has learnt how to combine his batting and wicketkeeping roles having struggled in the past to manage the two disciplines.

In 2006-07, Paine was playing as a specialist batsman when his superb 215 opening against Western Australia in his fifth first-class match placed significant pressure on Clingeleffer. A few games later, Paine was handed the gloves but the added responsibility affected his run-making - his six innings during that time yielded one score in double-figures and an average of 4.66 - and the previous arrangement was restored. Still, Paine played every match in Tasmania's Pura Cup-winning season, scoring 621 runs at 31.05, and it seemed only a matter of time before he would again be behind the stumps in the first-class team.

Paine had no such trouble with his twin roles in the one-day format. He was a consistent contributor in Tasmania's triumphant 2007-08 campaign and finished with 261 runs at 37.28 along with 21 dismissals. His 115 came in the final preliminary match against South Australia as the Tigers built momentum ahead of the decider. The previous year Paine was the state's highest scorer in the one-day arena with 314 at 31.40, and in his debut year of 2005-06, he celebrated his first state century with 111 in the ING Cup. He had been earmarked for great things when the Tigers signed him to a rookie contract at the tender age of 16. Paine, who captained the Australia Under-19 team to the 2004 World Cup in Bangladesh, has had three stints at the Academy.
Cricinfo staff July 2010