Tim Paine should be made a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Bradman has one. Laver has one. It may seem strange that Paine should get one. It is the highest level of the Order of Australia and each nominee is measured against three pieces of criteria:
– demonstrated achievement at a high level
– made a contribution over and above what might be reasonably expected through paid employment, or
– made a voluntary contribution to the community which stands out from other volunteers.
Timothy David Paine AC is a befitting title to a man who, along with Justin Langer, has been the face of Australian cricket’s revival from the dark days of March 2018. Australia needed a player who could be counted on to serve with unquestionable integrity. Someone to be proud of, to lead the national side back into the country’s good books.
How does he measure up to the criteria of the Order?
Starting with his voluntary contribution and working our way up. Except by injury or illness, taking the reins of captaincy rarely comes as a complete surprise, and when it does, it is usually only a temporary arrangement to see out an innings, match or occasionally, a series.
Tim Paine, mid-match, took over the captaincy for what has turned out to be 12 months — with no end in sight. He could have said no to the sinking ship, but instead, he took it on.
Has his contribution been over and above what might be reasonably expected? Captaincy involves being the public image and voice of the team and weathering controversies that they often have nothing to do with. However, Paine’s captaincy has had to deal with the exceptional.
His time at the top approaches, though is not equal to, the role played by Michael Clarke in the wake of Phil Hughes’ shocking passing. Yes, he has probably had a pay raise and there are large demands of any captain. There is no doubt that he has gone beyond the call of duty.
Finally, “achievement at a high level”. Although he could barely win a toss, Tim Paine has brought respect back to the men’s team faster than many may have predicted a year ago. He has come across as honest, a “good bloke” and a determined competitor.
He has even brought fresh insight to the long and stale debate on sledging. He managed to be distracting without being incessant or mean-spirited. He showed what it means to play hard cricket in a way no team or grumpy ex-player could reasonably criticise.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
All of this makes him a worthy contender for any prestigious honour both from Australia’s cricket community and also the Australian community as a whole. He should be shown immense respect and gratitude for his efforts.
The trouble is that I do not think he should go to the Ashes. Over the summer, almost every player who put on a baggy green has had their position in the team questioned. Paine has been exempt from this speculation as it is customary for the captain to always make the team irrespective of personal performance until things get really bad or they decide to retire.
This hasn’t really been a problem for a long time as Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Steve Smith walked into their teams regardless of their leadership duties. Paine does not enjoy the same luxury.
Were the leading Sheffield Shield run scorer not also a wicketkeeper, maybe Paine could be given more time. Matthew Wade has had a stellar 12 innings domestic season so far, scoring one century and five fifties. He was also not dismissed on three occasions.
(AAP Image/Daniel Munoz)
Paine, on the other hand, has had 21 outings, from that ill-fated South African series until now — the second most of all wicketkeepers in that time. He has averaged only 31.56 at a strike rate of 39.82, which is the second slowest of all the wicketkeepers to currently be representing a major Test nation. His highest score in this time has been 62, although it must be mentioned that he has been Not Out on five occasions with scores of 28*, 34*, 9*, 61* and 45*.
Luckily for Paine, he has the chance to impress with his on-field captaincy and also his wicketkeeping. The quality of the latter has long been argued to cover any sins with the bat. However, there are also plenty of great strategic cricketers in and around the Australian camp, especially with the recent addition of Ricky Ponting to the staff.
Perhaps these two parts of his game, supplementing pretty weak batting performances, are enough to get him to England.
It should not be a factor in Paine’s continued selection that he receives a free pass just because he is the captain of the side. Australia needs to head to England with its strongest possible squad and every player needs to be under scrutiny.
Paine needs to justify his selection with strong performances, not the prestige of his position.
Peter Warrington
Guest
hey, Pierre Curie, which bit was wrong? Hogg and Lawson both ended up injured which led to Whitney as 3rd seamer in a must-win Ashes. You should re-read my second sentence, and note the comma. Lillee bowled very well. The rest, nah.
Sw
Guest
What a pointless piece of dribble. Offered no alternatives to Tim Paine. Matthew Wade dropping multiple catches will have ten times more impact than Paine making 50 rather than an eighty.
Kiwi in East Perth
Guest
The abuse of players should be banned and watching the Supersport documentary 'crossing the line', everything could be heard over the stump mic. The language and behaviour displayed by Warner prior to sandpapergate was absolutely appalling. He was completely out of control and If/when they come back i hope that it's made clear that this disgraceful behaviour is kept in check. Smith also was complicit in not having better control of his players and setting higher standards for the team. However when they have served their time and should be eligible to play when they are available if they are good enough. But i hope that this type of sledging/abuse does not creep back into the game and there should be tougher penalties for it.
Shane
Guest
First rule of cricket - pick your best side Dont pick an inferior keeper who drops Root on 1 and he goes on to score 101 I doubt a better "batsman" keeper is ever going to make that up. Just ask Matthew Wade. I'm sorry www.roar.com.au i think you need to reconsider this clown writing articles
Shane
Guest
Are you stupid?
sheek
Roar Guru
This is pure nonsense. You talk up Paine before shooting him down. You sound like one of those football club board members: "The coach has our full support", before you knife him in the back. I'm old fashioned. You pick your keeper on keeping ability first. Batting is a bonus. Paine is the best keeper in Australia. He's also averaging 35 career batting average, second only to Gilchrist. There's a reason why the selectors are dragging their feet on recalling Wade, even as a batsman. When he was previously our country's keeper, & he had two stints in the job, he didn't score enough runs & his keeping was scrappy. Be grateful we have Tim Paine. He won't be around forever, as he turns 35 at the end of this year. Enjoy him as our keeper/batsman/captain while he's able to give it his best shot.
Shane
Guest
Oh and FTR - he’s scored the second most runs in the tests this year
Shane
Guest
Wicket keepers shouldn’t be picked for batting stats. Catches win matches. He’s the best keeper in the country I couldn’t care less if he batted 11
Shane
Guest
You have no idea about cricket
On the money
Roar Rookie
I am stunned by the content of this article. Tim Paine is by far our best keeper. His hands are so soft, he is brilliant over the stumps and excellent standing back. He has no peer in Australia since Chris Hartley retired and fully deserves his spot in the team as a keeper. As a captain, he has been just what we needed. He treats the position with respect, is an absolute competitor and tactically solid. Unlike his two predecessors, he does not take himself too seriously and has proved you can be an absolute competitor without being an absolute prick. He has been the breath of fresh air Australian cricket needed. As for his batting, he has an excellent technique and a quality missing in so many of today’s cricketers - he places a value on his wicket. Yes, he has not made the runs he would have liked, but his technique and grit have seen him make almost 1000 test runes at 35. Second only to Gilchrist in the 142 years of test cricket. Paine deserves his place in the Australian XI and as a member of that side, is clearly the best placed to skipper the team until he retires from test cricket in 3 or so years time.
Paul
Roar Guru
get it right Einstein, Lillee &Marsh played as did complete nobodies like Border, Alderman, Hogg and Lawson. The proof of any comment like this is whether you'd front these guys and say to them what you've written here.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Roar Rookie
Agree - I think the selectors are grooming Head or Cummins to take over from Paine in a couple of years time. Would be amazing if a fast bowler captained Australia - though Bob Willis, Wasim Akram and Imran Kahn have done it before. I've been impressed with Head. Could be a real chance to captain as well with a couple more years under his belt. We can't underestimate how important retaining Paine will be in this process of transition.
On the money
Roar Rookie
Pant’s poor keeping did not hurt India because Australia’s batting was far worse. If Australia had a couple of world class batsmen, then his dropped catches may have hurt India, but we didn’t have a world class batsman.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Considering his efforts saving that memorable test against Pakistan, then followed up against the best bowling attack India has ever toured with to score a 41, 38, 37, 26 isn’t anything to sniff at. Considering how badly overall the rest of our batting line up went against India (who bowled wonderfully well as a unit) those numbers aren’t bad at all. I’ll take a keeper averaging 35 with those glove skills any day of the week. I think a ton is just around the corner.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I remember just after he took over from Healy he dropped a couple that he should have taken and there was a few articles around at the time suggesting Healy was hard done by and we’d gone backwards. He certainly put that to bed before long. Steve Waugh elevating him to top of the order in ODI’s was a master stroke but his batting really overshadowed how good a keeper he really was.
Andre Leslie
Roar Guru
Yeah.. can't agree with this. Plays a crucial role keeping the team on the rails and his batting is pretty good. Sure, it's not Gilchrist level, but then again... not many are. Carey will have his time eventually.
CHarper
Roar Rookie
I agree completely that now others have locked down their spots. However, at the start of the summer, when Australia couldn't buy a run, I believe that Wade's non selection was based around the 'good bloke policy'. Should Wade get selected? Considering the achievements of others, no. I guess what I said earlier was worded badly, but during the Indian series and after the Pakistani series I felt Wade was not selected due to the 'good bloke policy'. Paine should undoubtedly keep his spot in the XI.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
...and imagine the responses on The Roar if he got picked and failed. Those who argued his case will be the first to turn their coats inside out. That's how they operate.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
All of them have shown the necessary ability to perform as they step up. Batting averages are not what we are primarily looking for in a keeper. Re, missing catches, Alan Knott missed catches too.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
Warner has proven himself to be a very effective captain.