SYDNEY (AP) Spurned by his own state, wicketkeeper Tim Paine considered retirement before winning a shock recall to the Australia cricket team on Friday for the first two Ashes tests.
Paine missed selection for Tasmania at the start of the season and, about to become a father for the first time, thought of quitting cricket to take a job with equipment manufacturer Kookaburra.
But the 32-year-old Paine was handed a lifeline when he was named in a Cricket Australia XI to play England in warmup matches. His half-century against the tourists and 71 against Victoria propelled him into the test side ahead of state teammate Matthew Wade.
Paine's recall comes seven years after his previous test, and his 78-test gap between appearances is the longest by any Australia player.
Opener Cameron Bancroft was named to make his test debut, replacing Matthew Renshaw who has been unable to find form in the Sheffield Shield, while Shaun Marsh has been recalled to bat at No. 6, displacing Glenn Maxwell.
News of Paine's recall was broken by Australian media on Thursday, creating consternation among commentators and fans. Paine played the most recent of his four tests against India in October 2017, before a series of injuries curtailed his international career.
Wade and Peter Nevill were expected to vie for the wicketkeeping role while Cameron Bancroft was also seen as an outside chance to take the gloves, though it was felt that pressure might be excessive in his first test.
But Wade and Nevill have failed to pass 50 in three rounds of first-class matches, making Paine's moderate form loom larger than it might otherwise have done.
''Tim was identified as an international player a long time ago and has always been renowned as a very good gloveman, also performaning well for us whenever he has represented Australia in any format,'' chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said. ''His batting form in recent outings for the Cricket Australia XI and Tasmania has been good.''
Nevill is regarded as the best gloveman among the candidates, and Wade, who has been the stronger batsman, has worked hard to improve his work with the gloves. But the pair has managed only 731 runs between them at an average of 21.5 since Brad Haddin retired from the test side in 2015.
''Matt Wade has been left out of the squad following some inconsistent performances with the gloves and lack of form with the bat,'' Hohns said. ''Unfortunately, his run of performances did not improve in the early rounds of Sheffield Shield and we have opted to make a change.''
Bancroft will become Australia's 451st test player when he opens the innings with David Warner in the first Ashes test which begins on Thursday in Brisbane.
''Cameron has been a player of interest to us for some time now, having been unlucky to miss out on the test tour to Bangladesh that was canceled in 2015,'' Hohns said. ''He is a very talented and tough cricketer who shows a good temperament for test cricket.''
Renshaw has lost his place after managing only 70 runs in six innings for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield.
''We still view Matthew as a player of immense talent but he is out of form at the moment and we don't feel an Ashes test match is the best place for him to find form,'' Hohns said.
The 34-year-old Marsh has won back his place in the lineup after missing the tour to Bangladesh. He has been in outstanding form in the One-Day Cup competition and has passed 50 in each of West Australia's three Shield games.
''He is a versatile player who can slot in anywhere in the batting order and will add valuable experience to the batting lineup,'' Hohns said.
Fast bowler Chadd Sayers was also named in the 13-man Australia squad, and Hohns said he may get his chance in the day-night second test at Adelaide where conditions might suit his swing bowling.
Sayers was the leading wicket-taker in the Sheffield Shield last season with 62 wickets, and has 14 this season at an average of 25.
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Australia: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (captain), Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.
