Tim Paine: The leader we never knew we needed

The sun was dipping down at the west coast of Sydney. The Aussie public already switched off their TV sets.

There were 11 men grinding hard in the middle of a ground which was supposed to be a sea of pink.

Everyone has given up. One man standing behind the stump chirping hard – ‘Good, Good Nathan’.

When everyone knows there is no good in a tired 82 km/h worn out cherry pitching outside leg. He keeps chirping ‘Good, Good Nath..’

Probably he is the only man with the baggy green who doesn’t want to be the leader, never dreamt of being the most famous important on the island after their PM.

Or maybe he did, when the media was hyped up a decade back about a young blond bombshell being the successor of Adam Gilchrist.

And then his finger happened.

Australia always asked for him when they needed. When both Pete Nevill and Matt Wade failed hard, Australia was looking for a keeper batsman who has composure than runs.

Who can bat with the tail also can face the second new ball?

Tim already had his contract signed with Kookaburra, he was settling in for a life outside cricket. Suddenly a phone call and he was bringing out his kit bag again.

He never asked for it. We asked him because we needed him. After a reasonable and most importantly sensible performance, we were relieved.

Tim Paine and Andrew Tye walk off. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)

The sandpaper gate hit us hard. We not only lost two of our most prolific batters, we lost leaders – a rare commodity these days in an Aussie outfit.

We called Tim again to steady the ship. Much like he settled the lower middle order. But this was a big, way bigger than what the media could show us.

Again, he never asked for it, we needed him.

Have you ever looked at the worn out faces of Mitch Starc or Nathan Lyon or Pat Cummins? The whole history of the team was in contention.

Their achievements were questioned. A team that has reigned the whole cricketing world for centuries, dismantled its opponents like a school team are shattered now.

Why would the other nations sympathise? They’re hiding scars of ages made by this team, too much blood has been spilt. Now it’s their time. The elephant is in the mud.

Tim is not the next border, not the best batsman, not the finest technician nor even the most aggressive captain.

He could never win us big games on his own bat. Probably he never will. But he settled the ship in chaos.

He is the atlas, the lone ranger, the white knight instead.

He is the leader we need. The man who needs to keep chirping – ‘Good, Good Nath..”