Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine named in Sheffield Shield squad

Unveiling the former Test captain in his 13-player squad to face Queensland, Vaughan said "there's a fair chance" he'll play after ticking all of the boxes to return.

"Firstly, his name was on the table for one-day cricket and then it was on the table last week when we selected and it was quite unanimous that everyone wanted one of the world's best wicket-keepers in our side," Vaughan said.

"We have absolute faith and trust in Tim and his preparation - physically he's probably in the greatest spot of his physical career [and] emotionally he's sound.

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"He's been training really well with us the last two months [and] we've got full faith in his wicket-keeping skillsets.

"He's ticked all of the boxes, to firstly be on the table for selection and our match committee decided he was our best fit for one of our 13 players going to Queensland this week."

The 37-year-old hasn't played for the Tigers since April 2021, stepping down from the national captaincy in November following news of a sexting scandal involving a former Cricket Tasmania employee.

Paine, who played 35 Tests, took a leave of absence from cricket, returning to training as an uncontracted player this pre-season before playing for his CTPL side University on Sunday.

He took a catch and made an unbeaten 20 off 37 deliveries, guiding his side to a comfortable eight-wicket win over New Town.

Vaughan said he saw "bits and pieces" of Paine's latest performance, speaking highly of his motivation to play for his state.

"He wants to be the best cricketer he can be and at the age he is, he's limited with the amount of cricket he's got left in him," Vaughan said.

"He wants to perform well for us, he doesn't want to just rock in and play one game of cricket for Tasmania, he wants to be a leader and ensure he's the best wicket-keeper in the competition and contribute with the bat as well."

The match kickstarts the Tigers' Shield season after two one-day wins last week.

Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk (c), Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster

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