ENGLISH AGREE TO SHAKE OZ HANDS

Australia captain Tim Paine says his players will shake hands with their England rivals before Wednesday’s clash at The Oval as the tourists aim to heal the wounds of their recent balltampering scandal.

Paine is on a charm offensive following the revelations of Australian cheating on their tour of South Africa in March. Ahead of Australia’s one-day international meeting with England — their first competitive match since the scandal — Paine asked Eoin Morgan if the teams could have a pre-match handshake on the field.

England one-day captain Morgan has agreed to the request, but only for the opening game of the fivematch series. “They don’t have to do it but it’s something we want to bring in at the start of a series, not before every game,” Paine said on Tuesday. Morgan confirmed England will agree to Australia’s request.