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T-Paine worth more than just runs to the baggy greens

28th August, 2019
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28th August, 2019
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Tim Paine had a forgettable last hour of the third Ashes test. This we know.

The Australian captain used his bowlers poorly when his side required just one wicket to retain the Ashes, both in their rotation and in conveying a clear plan to halt the Stokes frenzy.

Paine succumbed to the intense pressure of the electric Leeds crowd and, now most infamously, exhausted his side’s DRS reviews in one last desperate move that would prove fatal.

For this, he received deserved criticism. It was a poor decision that smacked of desperation and even defeatism. But many of those pointing out Paine’s faults online were far from done.

No, the Headingley finale was apparently indicative of Paine’s incompetence as a leader, a further example that his ‘fill in’ role should soon expire. No, terminated! Get rid of him now!

Emotion cannibalises rational thought in these situations. For if the screaming mob applied some, they mightn’t be so quick to run him out of the role.

Paine’s captaincy has for the most part been excellent so far this Ashes series. His role as Australia dismissed England for just 67 in the first innings at Headingley was quickly overlooked in the defeat.

Ben Stokes and Tim Paine.

Tim Paine shakes hands with Ben Stokes after his miracle innings at Headingley. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

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Paine, along with coach Justin Langer, have successfully employed a patience-first approach in the field this series that has reaped obvious rewards.

In the 2015 Ashes series, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson combined for an economy rate of 3.76 runs per over. Incredibly, Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle have thus far combined to conceded just 2.69 an over.

That’s one less run per over, and Paine’s role in maintaining this consistency on the ground is considerable. Langer and his assistants instil the tactics off the field, but it is Paine’s role to ensure they are executed on it.

Further, his field placements have ensured the quicks have been rewarded when putting the ball in the right spots. The double-strike of Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler (caught behind and at short cover, respectively) post-lunch on day two was particularly impressive in its tactical execution.

Paine’s glove work remains incredibly clean, and the best option in the country. When a comparison is made with a gloveman of less stature – for example, opposing number Jonny Bairstow – his worth to the side becomes more apparent. Aside from a drop catch off Rory Burns at Lord’s, his series has been almost blemish free.

Perhaps less heralded is Paine’s level-headed nature, and his persistence in instilling better values in Australian cricket.

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English players, pundits and punters rightly scoffed at the so-called ‘nice Australia’ being purported in the wake of sandpaper scandal. But Paine has mostly stuck by a mission to improve culture at the highest level, despite criticism that is was a short-term veneer to win back the public. His magnanimity in the most trying of defeats at Headingley was emblematic of this.

And while one could argue that none of this impacts results, he has undeniably played a positive role in turning around a culture that most of the Australian public agreed needed fixing.

While Paine’s captaincy, glove work and demeanour can’t be questioned, his form with the bat and use of the DRS system absolutely can. Averaging just 12.8, his contributions at number seven have been poor and his shot selection, particularly against the short ball, appear needlessly reckless.

Tim Paine

Tim Paine. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

But among all this, and amid the claims he should be stood down, few have provided viable alternatives. For Paine is the only man capable of leading Australia at this time. And while his strong leadership attributes shouldn’t give him a free pass amid form issues with the bat, the leadership vacuum should be acknowledged.

Vice captains Travis Head and Pat Cummins are, at least at present, ill-equipped for the role. Alex Carey’s current form further underlines his next-in-line status, but inserting him for Paine leaves Australia rudderless at a time it still requires strong leadership.

It should also be noted that the task of retaining the Ashes in England is, as most cricket fans on these pages would know, no mean feat for any leader. Ricky Ponting couldn’t do it. Michael Clarke tried, but couldn’t either.

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Paine came within a whisker of doing so at Headingley. He still has two more cracks at doing so, and in the Tasmanian, Australia has its best man leading them in Manchester and London in the coming weeks.

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