DRS blues taking toll on Paine COSTLY SPILLS

TIM Paine has admitted Australia is “having a ’ mare” with its hapless use of the Decision Review System, jokingly suggesting he will enrol in an umpiring course to correct it.

Australia has fallen foul of the system all series, frivolously burning reviews on speculative appeals while infamously being left without a challenge when Nathan Lyon’s appeal for lbw off Ben Stokes was turned down at Headingley, allowing England to secure an astonishing one-wicket win.

But they have gone from trigger happy to gun shy — and been burnt badly by both approaches.

Speaking candidly after a tough day in the field in which Australia twice had lbws turned down that would have been overturned on review, Paine was out of answers as to where it has all gone wrong.

“I don’t know mate, I’m getting it wrong. I don’t know what else to say. We’re having a ’mare,” Paine told reporters after being queried over his poor record this series.

“We’ve got it wrong, we’re not deliberately getting together and saying, ‘Gee I reckon that’s out Gaz [Nathan Lyon], do you want to refer it? Nah, let’s let him keep batting’.

“We’re getting it wrong, it happens ... it’s a tough job.”

Yesterday at The Oval, as England worked towards setting Australia a record run chase, Paine gave lives to both Joe Denly (on 54) and Jos Buttler (on 18).

Paine even jokingly offered a radical plan to fix his DRS nightmare.

“I’m going to do some umpiring school when I get home, I’ll enrol in a level-three umpires’ course and see if I can get them right,” he said with tongue in cheek.