Paine's next steps ahead of Ashes

With Australia's next Test assignment the first Test of the Ashes in six months, captain Tim Paine has provided a rough outline of how he intends to prepare for the series he's been dreaming of. 

Having lost his place in the one-day international outfit in the wake of the disastrous ODI tour of England last June, Paine looks set to return to action for the final four rounds of the JLT Sheffield Shield, starting February 23.

Then Paine aims to be part of Australia A's tour of England that runs concurrently with the World Cup and features five 50-over matches and two four-day games that will serve as the Test specialists' warm up for the Ashes.

But before then, Paine will rest.

The 34-year-old has been battling illness since the first Domain Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba where he had a sore throat before he felt the effects of a stomach bug in Canberra.

It means Paine is unlikely to return to the table-topping Hobart Hurricanes for their finals run in the KFC BBL and instead focus on the Tasmanian Tigers' first Shield clash of the new year against South Australia in Adelaide later this month.

"I’ve been a bit unwell in the last couple of Test matches so it will be nice to have a bit of a rest," Paine said.

"Certainly, going forward, the Shield games with the Dukes ball and then the opportunity to join the 'A' tour and get some four-day cricket over in England is something I’d certainly like to do and I will be discussing with whoever I need to."

While Paine's path to the Ashes appears relatively clear, those Test players involved in the one-day side will have a juggling act on their hands. 

The Test players who will be part of Australia's 15-man World Cup squad will have just one tour match – the Australia v Australia A four-day game in Southampton – to prepare for the first Ashes Test in Birmingham from August 1.

But Paine isn't concerned about the frantic, congested schedule and is backing those multi-format players to adequately prepare themselves for the two marquee events in 2019.

"The guys that are playing in both (World Cup and Ashes) are obviously our best players, so I think they’ll have a fair idea they are going to be in both and they are professionals that have been doing it for a long time, so I would expect they would be ready to go for both tournaments," Paine said.

"Whether it’s red ball or white ball, it's about finding the time to prepare for both. 

"If you are in white-ball mode it’s about taking some red balls with you and making sure you tick that over and vice versa, so I don’t expect that to be a problem. 

"The other Test guys having the Dukes ball for the rest of the summer is going to help as well, but it's going to be up to the individual to prepare because of the scheduling."

Domain Test Series v Sri Lanka

Australia: Tim Paine (c/wk), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Will Pucovski, Jhye Richardson, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Kasun Rajitha, Chamika Karunaratne, Vishwa Fernando

First Test: Australia won by an innings and 40 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 366 runs