KEEP THE FAITH
Australian captain says Test team stand at the dawn of a new era
TEST captain Tim Paine refuses to be daunted by the enormity of the task to win back the trust of the Australian public and is instead excited by the opportunity thrust upon him.
Paine was appointed the country’s 46th Test skipper following the fallout from the South African ball tampering scandal last month which saw former leader Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft handed lengthy suspensions.
The 33-year-old — who 12 months ago was on the verge of walking away from the game to accept a job at Kookaburra following a season on the outer with Tasmania — has been entrusted as the man to lead the revival by Cricket Australia powerbrokers.
And the No. 1 challenge of restoring faith in the fans that the toxic culture has dissipated and a new era will emerge is one the gloveman will not shy from.
“From the bad situation we have been through the silver lining is we get a bit of a clean slate and it is really exciting to be part of that,” Paine said.
“A lot of the players had their head around the fact we needed to change the way we play and some of those conversations were already being had.
“I’m really looking forward to playing that and winning back the trust and respect of our fans and the Australian public first and foremost.
“I’m not an overly vocal captain but I like to think I will lead by example. I will just be one part of this new leadership group.”
Paine’s rise to the top job in Australian cricket is a remarkable turnaround from early last year where he was pondering his future under the old Cricket Tasmania regime.
But a conversation with new CEO Nick Cummins and coach Adam Griffith confirmed he was a required player.
“Nick and I had a chuckle when the Ashes team was named, I was that close to not playing cricket,” Paine said.
“I’m certainly very thankful for the faith him and ‘Griff’ showed in me, being so close to not doing what I love doing and now being in the position I am makes me cherish it even more.”
With the CA board to meet today, and Darren Lehmann’s replacement as coach set to be a big topic of discussion, Paine endorsed Justin Langer but also declared plenty of candidates could fill the position.