Aussies can rise in Ashes
Skipper says team can bounce back from big defeat
CRICKET: After being overwhelmed by individual brilliance atheadingley, Australian captain Tim Paine is preparing to pick his players up off the canvas, adamant their best is good enough to still win the Ashes.
In the wake of the most “intense” game he had been a part of, Paine brushed aside controversies over dud umpiring calls and talked down concerns over moments of madness that cost his team a 2-0 series lead.
Paine conceded he was “hurt” after Ben Stokes took his team to pieces at Headingley with an innings unlikely to be bettered by anyone any time soon.
But he said he wouldn’t lose sight of the fact Australia had been in a winning position and that with better execution, retaining the Ashes, and winning the series at Manchester, was well within reach.
“The facts are we’ve been in a position to win every Test match that we’ve played in so far. We’re doing something right, we have to keep believing in that,” Paine said.
“We think we’ve got some pretty good plans. If we can continue to execute on skill and not get caught up on emotion we think the next two Tests will be the same.
“Ben Stokes was playing out of his skin.
“He managed to do things that you normally wouldn’t and you’ve got to give him credit.
“Losses like this hurt, but we’re not going to sulk about it for long.”
Paine refused to criticise umpire Joel Wilson who shot down an LBW appeal when England needed two runs to win, which replays showedwas out. Australia was out of reviews.
He said he would have liked to have done better as captain too, and if he had his time again would have talked to his bowlers more as Stokes went on his rampage.
Paine conceded Australia’s second innings’ batting effort, making just 249, also wasn’t enough to grind England into the ground and contributed to the defeat.
But he wasn’t going to be washed away in the emotion of an epic Test match, knowing Australia bowled England our for 67 on day two, andwere just one ball away from reversing a result that has brought the series to life.
“We don’t talk about emotion, you have got to stick to the facts and the facts are – like I said to the boys – we have been in a position to win every Test match so we are clearly doing something right,” he said.
“Instead of worrying and wasting time on a missed run out or a dropped catch or a referredlbw, let’s put our energy into what we are doing wrong and the things that we are doing to get ourselves into winning position.
“If you let things drag on and you get caught up in the emotion it is just wasted energy.
“We are here to play on skill not emotion.” GOLF: Rory Mcilroy has opened up a golfing rivalry for the ages after his Tour Championship victory delivered a stunning $US15 million pay day as he chased down world No.1 Brooks Koepka.
Mcilroy admitted his motivation to beat Koepka at the US PGA Tour’s season finale was a crushing defeat to the big-hitting American at the World Golf Championships event in Tennessee in July.
Mcilroy yesterday pulled the rug from underneath 54hole leader Koepka while paired with him in the final group at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
Mcilroy carded a four-under 66 to finish at 18-under-par.