Paine puts emotions aside to
AUSTRALIA captain Tim Paine was able to put his emotions to one side and recognise “an amazing game of cricket” after Ben Stokes’ brilliant century led England to an incredible Ashes victory at Headingley.
Paine (right) had one hand on the urn when England slipped to 286 for nine, still 73 short of what would be the greatest chase in their history. One more wicket would have guaranteed the tourists retained at 2-0 with two to play, but Stokes had other ideas.
He finished 135 not out, with eight sixes and 11 fours, as he thrillingly steered number 11 Jack Leach — who made the most important one not out of hiscareer—toglory.
“I thought it was an amazing game of cricket, Ben Stokes was unbelievably good... it was one of the great Test innings,” was Paine’s magnanimous assessment.
“We finished up on the wrong side of it but in terms of an advertisement for Test cricket, I think that was b ***** exciting. It was great to be involved in so I can only imagine what it was like to watch.
“It was a bit of individual brilliance today from a worldclass player. Stokes was playing out of his skin and he managed to do things that you normally wouldn’t see.
“I didn’t love it today but I love watching him play for that reason.”
The nature of the improbable fourth-innings hunt included all manner of tempo shifts and swings in momentum and called to mind the very tightest of Ashes encounters, England’s tworun win at Edgbaston in 2005.
And Paine was immediately aware of the this match’s place in the pantheon.
“In five or six years when we’re ex-players or maybe soon