Sing praises of match-winner

er — four years is probably a stretch for me! — we’ll look back and know we’ve played in an amazing Test series,” he said.

“You look to a lot of Ashes series, 2005 springs to mind, and every time you turn on Fox Cricket, Channel Seven, there’s highlights of that because of the unbelievable cricket... not because who won or lost.

“There were awesome players playing, unbelievable innings, unbelievable spells, and so far this Ashes series has been the same for both sides.”

Australia had big chances to win the game in nail-biting fashion at the end, with Nathan Lyon botching a run out chance while his side were still one run ahead then launching a huge lbw appeal against Stokes from the very next ball. Paine had wasted his last DRS referral on a lost cause six balls earlier and the error was put into excruciating context when replays showed Stokes would have been given out.

“I’ve got every review wrong so far so I’m going to give up and give it to someone else,” he said.

“It was just spur of the moment... have a dabble at it. But, yeah, I got it wrong.”

Paine refused to take the easy route of criticising Joel Wilson’s original not-out decision, but clearly felt it was a poor one.

“I saw it live. I thought it was out. I don’t need to see it again,” he said.

“I have no issue with it, I don’t think I’ve got a referral correct the whole series so I can’t sit here and bag the umpires. To sit down and single out an umpire is unnecessary, he is no different to everyone else, he is allowed to make mistakes.” AS Waringstown skipper Greg Thompson was quick to point out after the match, either Shaheen Khan was going to win his third successive Irish Cup winners’ medal or nine of the Waringstown team.

Cruelly for the Villagers, who had to give up their South African professional last year because he no longer plays firstclass cricket, it was Shaheen who was celebrating, this time with Pembroke as the Dubliners won the All-Ireland trophy in their first appearance in the final.

A century and three wickets from the their former teammate made the man of the match award a formality, but it wasn’t a day for regrets from Thompson, rather praise for a home-grown side and a time to look forward after a record five successive finals for Waringstown.

“I don’t see why this has to be the last of our run,” said Thompson