BEATEN AUSTRALIA WILL BE WORLD CUP FORCE – PAINE

AUSTRALIA captain Tim Paine insisted the reigning champions would be “right in the thick of” next year’s World Cup despite a 5-0 one-day international series loss to 2019 hosts England. “We have a number of players who are out, whether they are back or still injured, we’re not sure,” he said. “What I do know is...we have a number of players in this squad who have played in and won World Cups, so they know what it takes. I’ve heard a few times that this team doesn’t have a plan, or it doesn’t know where it’s going, but we have a clear direction. We know we are a long way off the mark at the moment but a World Cup is not for 12 months and we know when we get our best team on the park, playing our best cricket, we are going to be right in the thick of it.” But whether 33-yearold wicket-keeper Paine is involved remains open to question. It appeared the combined cares of captaincy and keeping were weighing heavily when he dropped a simple catch during the fourth ODI in Durham, while he scored just 36 runs in five innings this series. Alex Carey, Paine’s heir apparent with the gloves, topped that in just one knock when the 26-year-old, playing as a specialist batsman, made 44 yesterday. “I’ve said a few times before when you are my age it’s a bit foolish to look ahead,” Paine also told reporters. “Certainly, I am really looking forward to captaining the Test team and continuing how I have been playing in that format. But where I go with the rest of my cricket is something we will discuss in the coming weeks.”