Oz skipper Paine ready for hostile England reception
Australia’s players must be ready for a hostile reception in England over the ball-tampering scandal when they tour the country for next month’s limited-overs series, stand-in captain Tim Paine said on Thursday.
Paine will lead a new-look squad for the five-match one-day international series, with former skipper Steve Smith and vicecaptain David Warner suspended for their parts in the scandal in South Africa in March.
It will be the first series since the scandal for Australia, who will also play a T20 match against England during their June 13-27 tour, a warm up for the 50-over World Cup in the same country next year.
“It’s certainly going to be raised. The English are going to be basking in the glory of what’s happened,” Paine said in Hobart on Thursday.
“Guys are certainly going to have to be ready for that.
“If we can play well as a team and show we’re moving forward then hopefully the talk around that stuff will die off.”
Paine replaced Smith as Test captain after the tampering scandal broke during the third test of the South Africa tour in March.
Knowing that a permanent ODI captain will be named later in the year, he hopes he can at least take advantage of the situation to cement his place in the 50-over side.
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