NEW DELHI: Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has expressed frustration with the heavy criticism aimed at Australia’s ODI team following their recent 1-2 series defeat to Pakistan.
Despite a promising start with a win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Aussies stumbled in the subsequent matches, suffering comprehensive nine-wicket and eight-wicket losses at the Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium, respectively. These defeats have sparked discussions over the state of Australia’s ODI squad, with some commentators labelling the series loss as a “disaster.”
Speaking on SEN Tassie, Paine voiced his discontent with what he sees as an exaggerated reaction, particularly from established cricket analysts.
"That annoyed me. People were saying, ‘Oh, I can't believe how bad the Australian cricket team are, ’ and these are cricket commentators—world-class commentators—saying, ‘I can't believe what I'm watching; this is the World Cup holders’. But it’s not. The World Cup holders are sitting on the couch getting ready for a Test series."
Paine explained that the absence of key players, including Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, and Josh Hazlewood, who missed the series entirely, along with Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Starc, who only played in parts of the series, made a significant difference.
These absences were due to the players' need to prepare for the upcoming Test summer and other critical red-ball engagements, including an important series against India. Paine highlighted that the team on the field wasn’t representative of the World Cup-winning unit but was instead filled with emerging talents learning to play at the top level.
“We’re blooding some youth to give them experience at the international level whilst the big boys get ready for two hugely important series – one in Test cricket and one in white-ball. Relax. It’s okay, ” he said.
The World Cup-winning side’s absence was deeply felt, as Australia managed scores of only 163 and 140 while batting first in the second and third ODIs, respectively.