Australia back to winning ways but tough Tests lie ahead

MELBOURNE: Australia’s victory over India in Perth may have been the catharsis the team and country needed after this year’s ball tampering scandal and run of losses but much of the discussion after the game has been about bad behaviour.

Tim Paine’s side dismissed India for 140 on Tuesday to wrap up a 146-run victory at Perth Stadium, their first Test win since March – before the team’s universe imploded with a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.

The scandal not only caused global vilification but resulted in the suspensions of captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner until next year.

Coach Darren Lehmann also stood down, while Cricket Australia’s administration had a major overhaul with chairman David Peever and chief executive James Sutherland both departing.

A wide-ranging review of the organisation’s culture said it was perceived by stakeholders to be “arrogant” and “controlling”, while a “win without counting costs” mentality had seeped through into bad behaviour on the pitch.

While the “sledging” that had become part of the Australian game was less aggressive than in the past, the match in Perth was punctuated with outbursts and confrontations from both sides, with umpire Chris Gaffney admonishing Paine and his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli.

Reports of a personal attack on Paine by Kohli also surfaced but the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) vehemently denied them after the Test, labelling them “baseless”.

“These claims were based on hearsay and the BCCI would like to bring into notice that no such words were spoken on the field by the Indian captain,” the organisation said in a statement. “The BCCI got a clarification from the team management about the incident and would like to classify the reports as baseless.”

Paine himself did not escape scrutiny, picked up on stump microphone questioning India batsman Murali Vijay as to whether he liked Kohli as a person.

The Australian victory, however, could provide a boost for the final two matches of the series, especially since vast tracts of empty seats at both Adelaide and Perth did little to resolve questions about whether the nation’s fans have quite forgiven the organisation or team for years of bad behaviour.

Paine’s side remain unchanged for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and final game in Sydney from Jan 3 when India will continue their quest for a first series victory in Australia.