The 2023 Ashes was such a close fight between the two arch-rivals, England and Australia, which saw the series ending with a 2-2 margin, leading the Australia side to retain the urn at the end of the fifth Test at the Kennington Oval, in London. Former Australia captain Tim Paine however has slammed the present England captain Ben Stokes’ claim on that Test side.
England, under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum, decided to go with an aggressive brand of cricket, that would produce results, and put the crowd at the edge of their seats. In the very first Test of the series, the hosts decided to dangle the carrot to the opponents, who were smart enough to earn a last-day two-wicket victory at the end.
The home side was behind in the second Test at Lord’s from the start, but somehow managed to get back in the contest by a fine bowling show in their second innings. Stokes tried hard with his 155-run knock, but couldn’t chase the target.
The Stokes-led side made a great comeback in the third Test on Leeds, with a three-wicket win before the fourth Manchester Test ended in a draw, due to persistent rain.
‘You are a below-average cricket team’- Tim Paine on England
Former Australia captain Tim Paine, under whom the national side retained the Ashes with a 2-2 series margin during the 2019 Ashes has hit back at the England side, calling them a below-average cricket team, and advised them to get their head around a little bit.
The last of the five-match series in London found Australia losing the game by 49 runs, from a winning position, where they were ahead in the contest for a long time, but couldn’t hold their nerve as Stuart Broad went through the line-up at the end.
Stokes, however, during a recent documentary mentioned that as a team they were ruthless in the side, and achieved everything that they wanted to at the end. Tim Paine, speaking on SEN Tassie Breakfast, however, feels that England is in no way near changing the game.
‘Oh, mate, I don’t know, I think it was taken slightly out of context because he was talking in a changing room and it was a bigger speech, so I will say that.’ The former Australia wicket-keeper batter Tim Paine observed. ‘However, it’s just this continued belief that they’re completely changing the game and they’re doing this amazing stuff and everyone’s going to remember it (but) they’re not.’
He also made the opponent captain remember the fact that they are yet to feature in the World Test Championship final, even after hosting it for two editions, and they at the bottom half of the points table in this season.
‘You’re coming dead last in the World Test Championship. You’re not going to be a team that everyone remembers watching and you’re not doing anything outrageously good that we haven’t seen before.’ The 39-year-old Tim Paine elaborated. ‘You’re an average cricket team. You’re at the moment, a below-average cricket team and I think they need to get their head around that a little bit.’
The veteran also spoke about how Stokes making a dug at the Fox Cricket’s ‘X’ handle, feels that all of those claims of England living among the Australia cricketer’s minds are baseless.
‘Then secondly, when he replies back on X, I’m not sure who he thinks he’s actually talking to. It says, ‘We had our foot on your throats for two days, rent-free and all that’. You’re talking to Fox Cricket production.’ Tim Paine noted during the same interview. ‘That’s not the Australian cricket team that you’re talking to. I don’t think you’re living rent-free in any of the Australian cricketers’ minds,” he said in the same interaction.
Under Ben, England has won 11 of their first 13 Tests, but are yet to gain series wins in New Zealand and India, where they lost the away series by 4-0, towards the start of this year.
England will face West Indies to start their new home summer during the first of the three-match Test series, starting on July 10.