Praise for Paine’s ‘unflinchables’
Australia’s media turned the praise up to 11 as they basked in Tim Paine’s side retaining the Ashes in Manchester on Sunday, which also closed 18 months of introspection and abuse following a ball-tampering scandal that tore the team apart.
Fast bowler Pat Cummins finished with match figures of 7-103, while former captain Steve Smith scored 293 runs at Old Trafford as they sealed a 185-run win that ensured they retained the sport’s oldest trophy with a match to spare.
Tim Paine’s legacy as Australia’s Test captain is assured after he achieved what higher-profile predecessors Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke failed to do - bringing home the Ashes.
If Don Bradman’s team of 1947-48 are The Invincibles, then Paine’s class of 2019 are The Unflinchables, who overcame the trauma of the ball-tampering scandal and the heartbreak at Headingley to become the first Australian men’s side to retain the urn in England in 18 years.
Dubbed the “accidental captain” after taking over in the aftermath of the sandpaper scandal, the understated Paine now takes his place alongside revered captains such as Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Bradman to have succeeded in England.
When Paine was appointed skipper during Australian cricket’s darkest hour, it’s doubtful even he could have foreseen being in the team huddle at Old Trafford some 18 months later singing the John Williamson classic True Blue to celebrate an Ashes triumph.
“The man charged with resurrecting Australian cricket’s reputation – skipper Tim Paine - deserves a lot of credit for the success of the team. He’s been a calming influence, has a steady pair of gloves, has made some useful contributions with the bat and provided commonsense leadership. In short, he was the right man for a difficult job in desperate times,” Ian Chappell wrote in his column in the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Australia looked manifold, unified, overwhelming, and almost purified by their victory — and perhaps, to an extent, they were,” Gideon Haigh wrote in The Australian on Monday.
“As a man and sportsman, he [Smith] may never redeem himself to universal satisfaction; as a batsman, he has moved into elite company, maybe even the most elite,” Haigh wrote.
Such has been Smith’s impact throughout the series, Fox Sports’ Jacob Kuriype, channelling ‘mockumentary’ comedy film Spinal Tap, gave Smith an 11/10 in his player ratings.
“There’s an inevitability about Smith,” Kuriype wrote. “It doesn’t matter what you do, he’s going to score runs.
“It says everything that 82 is his lowest score of the series so far. A perfect 10 isn’t enough in this instance, so we’ll turn this one up to 11.”
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