Australia cricket news: Ashes 2021, Tim Paine, captaincy, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Justin Langer, Road to the Ashes Podcast
Justin Langer has confirmed who will captain Australia throughout the entire Ashes campaign, while also hinting at a potential successor.
Tim Paine will captain Australia throughout the entire Ashes campaign.
His coach, Justin Langer, emphatically put an end to the debate surrounding the biggest talking point coming out of the Australian summer, where Paine’s men lost 2-1 to India’s “third XI”.
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Joining Fox Cricket’s The Road to the Ashes Podcast, Langer, as he often did during his playing days in a star-studded side including Ricky Ponting and Shane Warne, was silently sitting back listening to Paine’s position being debated. But it was when Steve Smith and Pat Cummins had their names branded about as alternatives that Langer interjected.
“Let me just knock this on the head straight away,” Langer told The Road to the Ashes, “Tim Paine’s not not going to be captain for the whole Ashes, so don’t worry about it. I know you just backed him up there, I know you’ve just backed him up there; it’s great speculation for the public and media. Tim Paine’s outstanding.”
Langer added: “The only thing I would say about Pat Cummins is Imran Khan’s now the president of Pakistan, so he’s the president and he captained Pakistan so who knows what will happen.”
Road To The Ashes will be available to watch on FOXTEL on Fox Cricket (channel 501) and Fox Sports 503, streamed on Kayo and to listen on both Apple and Spotify.
The debate surrounding whether Paine should, first, continue to captain Australia and, secondly, who is his successor intensified in recent months following their shock series loss to India at home.
Australia won the first Test easily after bowling India out for 36 in the second innings in India, but the tourists responded by levelling the series in India.
Having eked out a draw in Sydney, India sensationally chased down 329 on the final day in Brisbane to claim a remarkable three-wicket win to win the series.
India’s series win – their second consecutive Down Under – was made all the more incredible by the fact Virat Kohli missed the final three Tests of the series and they were missing up to half-a-dozen first XI players.
As well as Nathan Lyon’s “negative” tactics, Paine’s tactics were heavily scrutinised in the aftermath of the series while Mark Waugh told The Road to the Ashes he thought the entire bowling group were “too short” in their lengths.
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Paine also came under fire for his sledging during the third Test, while his glovework wasn’t as strong as usual after putting down a number of tough chances throughout the series.
Former England Ashes winning captain Vaughan said Paine’s record remained strong, but his recent inability to lead Australia to victories on the final day would be playing on his mind and an aspect which would be targeted.
“Tim Paine’s record is very good,” Vaughan said.
“He has a winning percentage of 48, that’s pretty good.
“We all know as players and coaches, JL (Langer) and me as an ex-captain, you go back to your room at night knowing when you’ve done the hard yards and when you’ve got the team over the line, and it will be irking on Tim’s mind that he didn’t get the team over the line in Sydney, the Gabba, he’ll go back to Headingley, so the Ashes is very, very important for him, particularly the start of the Ashes.
“England will look at that and I think they’ll start to see that Tim has had a few games, and it’s not all down to him but you are responsible as the leader, he hasn’t quite got his team over the line and I think England will look at that and they’ll look at the fact India won at The Gabba and that will give England a bit of hope. England generally go to The Gabba and it’s 1-0 after about four hours.”
