Paine hopes to usher in new era for Aussies

– Australian captain Tim Paine (right) says his players will shake hands with their England rivals before today’s clash at The Oval as the tourists aim to heal the wounds of their recent ball-tampering 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 five-match 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 yesterday.

Australia skipper Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were banned for a year over the ball-tampering incident in the third Test against South Africa, paving the way for Paine to take over the captaincy.

Cameron Bancroft, who doctored a ball with sandpaper during South Africa’s win in Cape Town, was also banned for nine months by Cricket Australia.

Australian head coach Darren Lehmann quit his job after the shocking incident that rocked the sport.

Morgan confirmed England will agree to Australia’s request, with the hosts ready to help advance a positive view of the game after such a torrid period.

“I’m absolutely happy with that, it doesn’t bother me.”

“They are trying to turn around the image of the game in their country, and we’re all for that,” he said.

“We want cricket to be as popular as ever.”

Australia know they must build bridges across the cricketing world in order to repair reputations and trust.

New coach Justin Langer has vowed his team will respect the line between banter and abuse in the series against England.

Former star Adam Gilchrist has insisted it would be “business as usual” for Australia on the sledging front as soon as they come under pressure.

Morgan insisted England wouldn’t use the ball-tampering as an excuse to bait the Australians. – AFP