Tim Paine acts like a clown.
When I hear him speak, he reminds me of Cleaver Green, the protagonist of classic TV series Rake. It’s all spin and rhetoric, with little substance.
The loss at the Gabba is the most embarrassing result I have ever seen in my 40 years of following Test cricket – by any team, anywhere.
With everything on the line, a home Test series and a place in the ICC Championship final, Australia came up miles short.
After winning the toss and batting on an absolute road, almost every Australian batsman threw away his wicket against the most inexperienced bowling line-up we have ever faced, on a ground that we hadn’t lost at in over 30 years. Heads should roll and relieving Paine of the captaincy should be the first move.
Paine inherited the captaincy after the sandpaper debacle in South Africa in 2018. Asking a wicketkeeper to captain a Test team is sheer folly to begin with. Keeping wicket is the most taxing role in Test cricket – it requires unbelievable levels of skill and concentration and the ability to disrupt the concentration of the opposing batsmen with – preferably – light-hearted banter.
The captaincy should have been handed to the only remaining mainstay of the batting line-up, Usman Khawaja or to the only guaranteed mainstay of the team, Nathan Lyon.
But Paine was handed the reigns in Spain… err, no, wait… Dubai for a two-Test series against cricketing nomads Pakistan, and he started quite well. On the final day of the first Test, he battled away for 194 balls to save the match with a fine 61*. But we were well beaten in the second Test to lose the series 2-0. We took our medicine. A series loss Australian cricket had to have as part of our penance. But there was more pain to endure, a full summer of penance to come.
Tim Paine’s time as Australian captain could be over (Photo by Mark Brake – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
When the Indians won the Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2018-19, they became the first Indian side to win a series in Australia; not even the great Sachin Tendulkar had ever come close to experiencing such success on our shores.
For some reason, Paine was given a pass mark by the sporting media. His childish verbal stoushes with Virat Kohli were enjoyed and applauded, despite the fact they probably helped India to steel themselves for the contest against the ever-arrogant and unapologetic Australians.
Weren’t we supposed to have been humbled by the cheating saga?
Australia’s batting cost us that series and Paine was unable to rally the troops. I must admit, it is a lot to ask of a wicketkeeper. It is very hard to lead by example and have a meaningful captain’s knock when you bat number seven. Paine was handed a gift later that summer when an unrecognisable Sri Lanka barely turned up and was thumped 2-0.
So we took our summer medicine and on to redemption in the English summer of 2019, where Steve Smith returned from the phantom zone and scored about a million runs and Paine, despite his disastrous decision-making (that cost us the third Test), was able to raise the urn as we retained the Ashes 2-2. Thatr result bought this underperforming batsman and terrible tactician more time in the most-coveted position in Australian society.
Two more awful teams visited our shore in 2019-20 as we swept Pakistan 2-0 and a very disappointing New Zealand 3-0. This is the problem: there’s always an easy series around the corner to gloss over what should be unacceptable losses.
The PR job by Cricket Australia to sell Paine and Langer as our cricketing redeemers is laughable. They are both whingers that always have an excuse for underperforming.
Justin Langer. (Photo by Matt King – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
The antics of Steve Smith and David Warner in South Africa in 2018 condemned Australian cricket to this sorry period of our history. Their actions should have been unforgivable. But no, they were somehow painted as victims and prodigal sons. They should never have worn the baggy green again. While it is hard not to have some sympathy for Smith, the fact is he was the captain, he knew there was something going on and chose to turn a blind eye to the stupid plan that Warner hatched that fateful day.
The current regime at Cricket Australia will eventually fall, and when it does, it will be well overdue.
It is not Paine’s fault that Australia has an inept captain. It’s Smith’s fault, it’s Langer’s fault and it’s Cricket Australia’s fault that we have lost two consecutive home Test series to India and our place in the inaugural final of the ICC Test Championship at Lords.
The rebuilding of Australian cricket should have continued without Smith and Warner and with Tim Paine as an obvious choice as vice-captain and quality wicketkeeper.
The captaincy was too much to ask of him in the long-term and the Australian cricketing family continue to pay the penance.
Graeme Docker
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
Graeme Docker
Roar Rookie
:laughing:
WillowWiz
Roar Rookie
Saying that Paine acts like a clown might actually be a bit disrespectful to the profession of Clownery. Just saying.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
Lawson is spot on and articulates the key fielding and strategy mistakes paine kept making against india . Spot on with his article this time although I’d still lean to smith over cummins to protect cummins bowling but lawson makes some good points there too and finishes on an accurate statement . We need to move forward to else we stagnate against the inevitable in a year anyway. https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/cummins-and-goings-paine-has-done-a-sterling-job-but-it-might-be-time-for-change-at-top-20210123-p56wbr.html
Andy
Roar Rookie
Paine didn’t have a good series with his keeping but overall he is a very good gloveman. His batting is also decent and I think he could get a spot in the side as a specialist batsman over Matthew Wade. His captaincy is mediocre at times but there are no real options to replace him. Smith should not be given the captaincy after what happened in Cape Town and the selectors would never give a bowler like Cummins the captaincy. Personally I think Head or Wade should be the options but neither have a solid place in the side. Overall dropping Paine would not help us at all.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Go and watch the Lyon missed run out again. The throw was a bit wide but it was a dolly that bounced gently up to waist height. He just took his eyes off it. He would take that 99 times out of 100.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
The year he won the Charlie as it turns out. The guy who sold the car was Terry Daniher at the Holden dealership.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
Being Wagga, that would be the footy player? Nice work
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I made a tonneau cover for Paul Kelly when l lived in Wagga. I also recovered a BMW Motor Cycle seat for Rob De Castella.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
Didn't know that phalanx is the collective noun of Paul Kellys. There you go! My ranking of them: Muso - legend Former AFL player - top bloke CMO - seems nice Journo - meh
Pierro
Roar Rookie
But it was a poor throw to lyon I can forgive him for that and I think lyon now needs to be rotated . Even with his bad luck this series 60 av for a series is a really bad but if they stuck him to adelaide and gabba that av may have been almost.lower . Swepson may have cleaned up at mcg and scg . We won’t know bit we have to start rotating as the results are clear after two indian tours with same bowlers and we’re predictable for me on bowling front before this tour
Pierro
Roar Rookie
General one thing we tend to do is get stuck in the past . I think we can hold on a bit . I just read this article attached below . Check it out . It was interesting read and made me think one can be ageist but you still need to judge on current form . sean marsh . The guy has topped the shield this year with pucovski and last year. Selectors made a mistake messing around with burns and harris too long. Swepson also has twice as many wickets as any other bowler this shield year . Interesting stats all round . Smith and warner have been the only two prolific bats for aus for a decade but if you look at the list green , pucovski ,.marsh and swepson all should have figured in this series against india on merit really . Marsh of course is no long term solution but losing a series is a worse outcome , particularly home soil. We need to encourage change . It looks like wades days maybe done and with paine the knives are out , rightly so for Captaincy I think as he bares significant responsinilty . Sth Africa aren’t at their strongest right now and we can go ok over there sometimes but essentially I just really think we need to prep for future now off a loss with good selections where there is weakness. It’s not right that paine decides to go when he wants to , he’s accountable like every other player and especially as captain . We all want Australia to win. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-20/steve-smith-david-warner-meg-lanning-statistics-cricket/13072078
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
An phalanx of Paul Kelly's! Even the medico bloke.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
No easy missed run out by Lyon and we would have won the "Stokes test". Cricket is a game of ifs and buts.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Also for interest sake lets pick a combined team from Waugh/Ponting era and now. Hayden Langer/Warner Ponting Smith Hussey Waugh S Gilchrist Warne Gillespie Cummins McGrath Reserves Clark (unlucky) Martyn Waugh M Lee That's off the top of my head. So two possibly 3 from the current side would make the top fifteen. Compare the players Waugh and Ponting had to our current team.
Mango Jack
Roar Guru
We've got an army of Paul Kellys, but I assume you mean the muso. He'll do. Sarah Blasko can be a bit morbid for my liking.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
Oh and by the way that is why Waugh and Ponting have great records as captains. Players like Hayden, 2 Waughs, Hussey, Ponting, Warne, McGrath, Clark, Gillespie etc. Most of those would be in the top 20 of Australian cricket history. Of the current team only Smith, and Cummins would get a game in those sides if they were lucky.
Pierro
Roar Rookie
No paine and we win headingly either way I. Stokes . Drs call was a shocker and smith wanted to go other way round on it with hands on head . We were then short for the plumb drs shortly after . Smith was huge general turned around headingly and made 200 plus at manchester all up. If anything you’d say cummins and hazelwood were the other keys m once again we have four players in top.ten team in world.
TheGeneral
Roar Rookie
No Stokes and we win the ashes. You cannot single out one player (Smith) and say we wouldn't have won without him. All sides have their great players. That's like saying India wouldn't win without Tendulker, or Australia without Bradman. Silly comment. Any team always has their standouts. Look at the Windies with their bowlers in the 80's and 90's. Look at them now. There will always be standout players in any team and that is their good luck.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Paul Kelly and Sarah Blasko