Criticism of Australia captain Tim Paine dismissed as ‘an absolute joke’
Peter Handscomb has leapt to Paine’s defence after India’s heroic victory at the Gabba
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Former test batsman Peter Handscomb leapt to the defence of Tim Paine on Thursday as the Australia captain came under fire in the wake of the series loss to India.
India's dramatic triumph in the fourth Test at the Gabba on Tuesday led to a great deal of soul-searching in Australia and some of the country's army of pundits have turned the spotlight on Paine's leadership.
The 36-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has led the test side since Steve Smith was sacked in the wake of the 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal and has said he would like to return to South Africa as captain next month.
READ MORE: Paine finds himself as the object of cricket’s fury
"I can't believe the fallout from this test is his captaincy, that's just an absolute joke," Handscomb, who played his last test in 2019, told reporters on Thursday.
"The poor guy is batting beautifully, making some good runs, taking the game on and leading with that intent, which is really good to see.
"For it to come down to some perceived captaincy ideas is ridiculous. The whole team is there and everyone is trying to do their best ... it's a bit of a joke that the takeaway seems to be his captaincy."
Australia's next test assignment is scheduled to be a trip to South Africa in February and March, although the COVID-19 situation across the Indian Ocean has placed that three-match series in doubt.
Looming beyond that is the home series against England at the end of the year, when Australia will be defending the Ashes they retained in England in 2019.
With Cricket Australia apparently still reluctant to hand Smith any leadership positions, there is a shortage of credible alternatives to Paine as captain.
"I can't see any other options at the moment, which is part of Australia's problem," former skipper Ian Chappell told Channel Nine.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments