Calls for Tim Paine’s head are overblown, as are predictions from an overseas expert that his days as the Australian captain are numbered.
I am genuinely grateful to Paine for what he has done for the Australian cricket community in the three years since the Cape Town abomination.
I am equally grateful to Justin Langer and each member of the national team who was open to doing things better.
Paine was the right man at the right time. Just as Australian cricket needed Allan Border to be ‘Captain Cranky’ in the mid-1980s – to grab the team by the neck and drag its performance upwards – post the grating sandpaper scandal, we needed a man like Paine to restore the team’s character.
Allan Border (Adrian Murrell/Getty Images)
Paine is a thoroughly decent bloke. If you don’t believe me, listen to his podcast discussions with Mark Howard (The Howie Games) and Wil Anderson (Wilosophy). He comes across as a deep thinker, respectful of the game’s traditions; yet intensely competitive.
The 36-year-old’s mantra is that the Australian cricket team belongs to the public, not to the players. Until the SCG Test, he exhibited exactly the kind of temperament we needed in a national captain following the game’s biggest contemporary crisis.
Should further convincing be required, who else would call an unscheduled press conference to hold himself accountable for his own behaviour and apologise?
So did Paine overstep that mythical line in his exchange with Ravi Ashwin late on Day 5?
Just two summers ago, Paine was lauded for standing up to Virat Kohli’s provocations. Indeed, during that series, the stump mics overheard him saying to Murali Vijay, “I know he’s your captain, but you can’t seriously like the bloke.”
At the time, Paine’s banter was upheld as the zenith of non-abusive ‘chat’ which did not cross the line into sledging.
So what is the difference now? In both instances, Paine was clearly gaming his opponent by trying to break his concentration.
Was it the use of “dickhead” that provoked the social media outrage? Was it because there was, perhaps, more venom in Paine’s tone? Or was it because Paine’s team were underdogs in 2018-19, whereas – absent India’s truly stirring fightback – the Aussies should have already been celebrating a series lead when Paine allowed his frustrations to find a voice?
Paine’s is a great story of resilience. Recognised early as a potential long-term Australian Test wicketkeeper, he suffered a devasting finger injury while batting in an exhibition match.
After multiple operations, he hovered on the edge of the selectors’ collective consciousness for years, before finally being recalled to the national team for the Ashes series of 2017-18. He wasn’t even playing first class cricket for Tasmania at the time.
And then, in the fractious wake of the sandpaper scandal, a nation turned its wistful eyes to Tim. Whereupon Paine has served with distinction and done much to restore the reputation of the Australian cricket team – both in terms of its performance and its behaviour.
Yes, Paine had a bad day on Monday. Perhaps a bad Test even.
But that’s no reason to rip the baggy green from his head and stomp on it. He’s earned a more considered appraisal than that.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks Pierro. There is certainly a risk of that...but I challenge your cause / effect analysis. Do you give any credit to India for winning the last series and playing with such resilience in this one?
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Captaincy has negatively impacted his keeping.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Ckarke was good tactically but a self made man who loved his own creation.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
The paine pr club is more tiresome . I’m happy to remind you all of facts that have been reiterated on air during uk ashes by several legends of the game let alone this series here . It’s plenty of others in media , former cricketers and social media comments that back me up. Remember I’m talking Captaincy not keeping or batting although his keeping worries me this series as it turned out to be crucial at scg
Pierro
Roar Rookie
You can second that again . If you don't acknowledge paines key mistakes tactically on field and with drs in uk ashes or mistakes at adelaide , mcg and scg then your not seeing straight . It's multiple tests on uk and aus this series . I'm forgiving him for the first series lost in india last time round in 19 20 but not the decisions this time round
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Paines batting has been good at times with luck I might add this series but he's on home soil and india had replaced it's bowling attack .. the key is that his captaincy on field is poor
Pierro
Roar Rookie
He's stuffed up tactically and with drs in three tests in the ashes uk let alone the win at trent bridge and machester . He's made mistakes tactically and with drs let alone keeping at multiple tests this series
Pierro
Roar Rookie
He's made many errors over many tests since the first ashes test at lords from what I've seen. Endless tactical errors and drs calls in ashes uk and many errors with fields and tactics this series . He may be the first captain to lose and then on top draw two series in a row in Australia . Before paine we had never lost a series to india in Australia
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Paul that's ridiculous he has had some terrible tactics , fields , drs not mention alot of drops this whole series and key one being being pant dropped in Sydney . Off field swore towards umpire and also lost it with Ashwin . His time has come surely .
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Paine has to go terrible on field decision maker and strategy see post below here , plenty of evidence since ashes first test
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Omg . What rubbish . Paine has a laundry list of poor decisions as captain on field not to mention dropping pant two hours plus before his wicket critical . In Adelaide we lost the first innings if he actually took kohli’s drs out on 16 we gain 100 runs back . Hazel and cummins took 9 wickets in a stunning bowling session is all . We effectively lost first innings at mcg and adelaide , lost mcg and then paines shambles Captaincy at scg not setting slips fields three times cost us three catches with fielders on boundaries . Laundry list on England was huge bowling first at oval , keeping lyon on fifth day lords let england get away from us in morning then we very nearly got bowled out but for labs . The 25 drs howlers there. Headingly drs howler was down leg means we lose the key challenge for plumb and a series win 3 1. Thank God he had smith making epic centuries and saving the match at headingly . First innings there as captain paine ran down pitch and smashed it when five wickets down to get out when we needed him to hang in there . Thank goodness smith got runs to get us two wins in england . Paines Captaincy bolstered by five soft test wins last summer batting first against poor opp on home soil .
Thomas Ian Hodgson
Guest
I couldn't agree more/ Paine is a great captain and I love him as a superb player
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Agree on AB what a huge effort to hold up the team at times and usher australia in to irs best era since bradman. Border is underated I think
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Thought clarke and ponting mediocre captains . Great bats tho . Bit like paine has been a great wicketkeeper but poor captain . Can't let india won and draw twice on aus soil and not get the full ashes win we deserved but for his errors
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Pointing was a poor captain lost three ashes series I think and on home soil . Also effected his batting . Smiths batting got better as captain . Smith all the way he's done his time and will be a better captain
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Being kind to paine . His record is about to dip in to the 40s percent win moreover five of the softest test wins ever last summer batting first against pakistan on roads . As you know smiths record haul of runs in uk gave him another two test wins with cummins and hazel at trent bridge and machester where smith was on fire . Bring back smith as captain . Paine has to go after this series . Losing two series to india after never losing a series in aus is unacceptable . Even if we won at gabba it's not good enough to many errors from paine test after test infield
Cadfael
Roar Guru
We need to get India out as cheaply as possible. This morning we had three slips and a gully, on the leg side a long leg and deep backward square. Paine had Starc bowling over the wicket across the right hander. Twice catches went straight to where fourth slip would have been standing, wanting quick wickets there should have been one there. Paine was exactly what was needed after SA but his keeping and captaincy have both been ordinary this series.
Peter Hunt
Roar Guru
Thanks Andy. And he's playing another critical innings today (Day 2 Gabba). Great character.
Andy
Roar Rookie
Exactly right. Paine has helped our team so much over the previous 2 years. One bad day shouldn’t override that.
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Unless you're Doughknee, I guess.