Australia test captain Tim Paine to undergo neck surgery, participation in Ashes doubtful

Tim Paine faces a race against time in order to keep himself fit for the upcoming Ashes Tests series against England. The Australia Test captain will undergo neck surgery in Hobart on Tuesday in order to fix a pinched nerve in his neck that has restricted him during pre-season training with Tasmania. The Ashes 2021 first Test is still three months away in early December at the Gabba.

Ashes 2021: Tim Paine neck surgery disrupts Ashes preparation

According to the statement released by Cricket Australia, Paine had been suffering pain in his neck and left arm due to a bulging disc. He consulted a spinal surgeon in Hobart late last week, and it was recommended that he has the surgery to relieve the pressure on the nerve.

The statement from Tim Paine said, "The consensus of the spinal surgeon and the CA medical team was to have the surgery now which will allow plenty of time to fully prepare for the summer. I expect to be able to restart physical activity by the end of this month and be back in full training in October. I will be ready to go by the first Test and am very much looking forward to what will be a huge summer."

Tim Paine injury also puts his chance of leading the Australia team on his home ground in Hobart with one-off Test series against Afghanistan scheduled to be played at the end of November. However, the Test against Afghanistan is now in serious doubt following Cricket Australia's stance that they will cancel the match if women aren't allowed to play sport under the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan. Australia has managed to play only four Tests in the last 18 months with all of them coming against India last season. The tour of South Africa was postponed earlier this year due to COVID-19 concerns.

Ashes 2021 schedule: Tim Paine's men's quest to retain the trophy

As per Ashes 2021 schedule, the high-profile series against Joe Root's men will commence with the first Test at the Gabba on December 8-12. The remaining four Tests will be played at the Adelaide Oval (December 16-20), Melbourne Cricket Ground (December 26-30), Sydney Cricket Ground (January 5-9) and Perth Stadium (January 14-18). Notably, this will be the first instance in 26 years that the Ashes finale will not be hosted by the iconic SCG.

A look at Tim Paine Test career

Talking about Tim Paine Test career Australia skipper has represented the country in 35 Tests out of which, Paine captained Australia in 23 of them, winning 11 and losing just 8 matches. With the bat he has aggregated 1,534 runs at an average of 32.63.