Image Source : GETTY IMAGES File picture of Tim Paine.
Cricket Australia (CA) on Wednesday strongly defended under-fire Test captain Tim Paine following back-to-back house sequence loss to India, saying “some of the commentary surrounding his position has been wide of the mark”.
Though Paine did properly with the bat, his captaincy and his efficiency behind the stumps attracted criticism within the wake of a heartbreaking 1-2 defeat in opposition to India within the four-match Test sequence.
“Tim Paine was excellent at No.7 against India and as a batsman, wicketkeeper and captain still has much to offer in the Test arena,” nationwide selector Trevor Horns mentioned in a press release after Paine was retained as captain for the South Africa tour.
Paine had taken over captaincy within the wake of the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018 when then skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner have been banned for a 12 months for his or her function within the notorious incident.
“Tim Paine has been an outstanding captain since taking over the Australian men’s Test team in incredibly difficult circumstances,” mentioned Ben Oliver, CA’s Executive General Manager (National Teams).
“Some of the commentary surrounding Tim and his position as Test captain has been wide of the mark.”
He mentioned Paine has the assist of the staff, the coach and everybody else at Cricket Australia and the results of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy sequence has completed nothing to decrease that.
Oliver mentioned criticism and scrutiny on Paine’s efficiency was on anticipated strains given the high-profile nature of the sequence in opposition to India.
“Tim is in career-best type with the bat and, whereas the sequence in opposition to India was not his finest with the gloves by his personal admission, he stays within the prime echelon of wicketkeepers globally.
“And as a leader, he has been brilliant. To captain a squad through the many challenges presented by the pandemic – not least the unique pressures of hub life – is no easy task and Tim did that with strength, humility and good humour.”
