What once threatened to end Tim Paine’s cricket career might yet make him a better player.
The pain of watching good mate Matthew Wade leapfrog him in the national pecking order has been nothing compared to what the Tasmanian wicketkeeper has endured since breaking a finger in November 2010.
An attempted comeback resulted in yet another break.
A plate inserted in his shattered right index finger snapped – twice.
And a bone graft from his wrist failed to take on his damaged digit.
Paine still shakes his head over the fact a delivery from Victorian fast bowler Dirk Nannes snapped his (Paine’s) finger in a game that meant very little – a pre-season All-Stars exhibition game.
But five surgeries and 15 months after first copping the nasty blow, Paine isn’t bitter – he just wants to get better.
Cleared to resume training next week, Paine has already ruled out playing again this season.
But he believes his frustrating stint on the sidelines should ensure a new and improved Paine emerges in 2012-13.
“I am confident when I do come back, I will be as good if not a better player,” Paine said.
“Watching and studying cricket and missing it a lot is going to make me a lot hungrier than what I was.
“When I am back, it is about putting my name back up there (to national selectors) and I am confident I can do that.”
The landscape changed dramatically while Paine was sidelined.
Veteran Brad Haddin has a question mark over his Test future after being replaced in the one-day and Twenty20 formats by Paine’s childhood friend Wade.
At one stage, Paine was considered a future Test captain.
Now he has become Australian cricket’s forgotten man.
“That’s bound to happen. You can’t miss 15 months of cricket and expect to be where you were,” said Paine, who has played four Tests and 26 ODIs.
“Players improve and Matty Wade has been going well – that’s life.
“(But) it hasn’t been that bad.
“The first time (fracture), I was more disappointed because it was my first serious injury – I think I have learnt to deal with it (because) it’s been the norm for the last 12 months.
“I am just worrying about getting it right rather than worry about what other people are doing which you can fall into the trap of doing.
“Once I got over that, the last six months, I have been a lot happier.”
Paine had six pins inserted in his finger recently and was buoyed by his latest surgery which successfully grafted bone from his hip to his finger.
Then again, he had been due for some good luck.
“I’ve had the plate (in his finger) break twice,” Paine said.
“The surgeon said he hadn’t seen it at all when I went in the first time so, to have it happen twice in six months, was pretty unusual.”