Paine says ‘sorry’ but pressure is on
TIM Paine has drawn praise se for admitting “I was a fool” and nd is now focused on nailing a crucial step in his bid to captain in Australia in its Ashes defence. e.
In a dramatic press conferrence yesterday, Paine laid himself bare and apologised for his behaviour in the Sydney Test which, for the first time since Cape Town in 2018, opened his team up to criticism about ‘ugly Aussies’.
Paine’s legacy as an Australian captain will be how he reset the team’s attitude after Sandpapergate and set new standards for on-field conduct. The Tasmanian was distressed at how he failed in his leadership at the SCG and conceded his mood was “off” for the Test and impacted on his team’s performance.
All the pressure is on Australia heading into the dramatic decider at the Gabba, given it faces the ignominy of losing a second straight Border-Gavaskar series on home soil to a patched-up Indian side that has no Virat Kohli and so many injuries it is almost struggling to field an XI.
In that sense, Brisbane is an enormous Test for Paine. The 36-year-old will get another contract and will lead Australia to South Africa next month – if the tour goes ahead – but, at this stage of his career, every series counts.
Allan Border and Steve Waugh captained until they were 38 and Paine believes he is capable of similar longevity as a wicketkeeper and leader.
He yesterday showed the human side that has made him relatable to the Australian public and again demonstrated he stands for something as a leader. But so much goes on the line at the Gabba for an Australian side desperate for victory.
“I’m bitterly disappointed with the way I went about it. I felt my mood throughout the whole Test match was probably a little bit off. The way I spoke to the umpires early on day two was also unacceptable,” said Paine. “I’ve got to cop that on the chin. It’s not the way I want to lead this Australian team. It’s certainly not a reflection of how I want to do it going forward.
“I always talk to our players about playing this game on skill and not on emotion and yesterday I fell short of my own standards and expectations. I’m bitterly disappointed with that. But at the same time I did a bit of selfreflection and being able to learn from it and being able to move on to the Gabba Test was really important for me.
“I wanted to address that and apologise to our fans and people who heard some of the things I said yesterday.
“It wasn’t good enough and particularly from the leader of this team. I have to cop what’s coming on the chin and I’m really looking forward to getting to Brisbane, bouncing back and playing the game more like Tim Paine plays the game.
“Yesterday was a poor reflection of that and not something I want to be known for.”
Paine refused to blame India’s time-wasting tactics, stump mics, bizarre ICC rules that allowed match-saver Rishabh Pant to sub in and out of the game as he pleased after suffering a blow to his elbow, or the strains of playing the summer in a bubble.