Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley “would love” to see Tim Paine play for Australia again.
The 37-year-old stepped away from all forms of cricket to take an indefinite mental health break on the eve of the Ashes series in late November.
Just days earlier, Paine relinquished the Test captaincy after being engulfed in a sexting scandal dating back to 2017.
Hockley hopes to see Paine return to cricket “as quickly as possible”.
“Absolutely, we would love to see Tim play again for both his state and for Australia,” he told SEN Test Cricket.
“We want to see him back out there playing and performing as quickly as possible.”
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The CA chief defended the handling of the Paine predicament after former Cricket Australia chairman David Peever accused the current board of “abandoning” the veteran wicketkeeper.
Peever and the CA board in 2018 cleared Paine of any wrongdoing after assessing the findings of an integrity unit investigation.
Hockley praised Paine’s stint as captain after taking over at a turbulent time following the infamous ball-tampering saga in 2018.
“It’s obviously just a really, really difficult situation,” Hockley said.
“Let’s no forget that it was Tim’s decision to step aside and that was a decision the board felt was appropriate.
“He’s been an exemplary captain throughout his three years, done a phenomenal job and it’s just a very, very difficult situation.
“While he’s made a big mistake, he’s owned it, and he’s stepped aside to prioritise and look after his family.
“We’ve really sought to support him. Everyone really wants to support him as best we can.
“He made a big mistake, he served Australian cricket as captain supremely well over the last number of years, he’s paid an enormously high price.
“We’re all very, very concerned to make sure Tim is well supported.”
Alex Carey replaced Paine in the Australian squad for the first two Ashes Tests.