Last Update on: December 24th, 2020 at 04:18 pm
Australian head coach Justin Langer has said that he has full faith in his captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine.
Tim Paine’s position in the Australian team and his credentials as Test captain has been a talking point among former cricketers, with the likes of Shane Warne suggesting that he can warrant a place in the side as long as he is contributing with his bat.
Langer did admit that Adam Gilchrist brought about a whirlwind revolution in how a role of a wicketkeeper is perceived but he was quick to assert that Tim Paine is an integral member of the team not only because of his incredible wicket-keeping skills but also because of the manner in which he leads the side.
“I think about Adam Gilchrist, I guess, who transformed the game in a sense, and that is why Adam Gilchrist is an all-time great player because he transformed the game. I have got enormous faith in Tim Paine,” Justin Langer said in the virtual press-conference.
“…whether it’s his wicket-keeping, his captaincy, his batting, I have said publicly and privately for almost the last year, he is our most important player, because he is a lead wicket-keeper, his leadership on and off the field is incredible,” he said.
“….we saw he can play, how well he batted in first innings under pressure in Adelaide, probably changed the game actually with the run-out of Virat Kohli, so he is a great player, great leader and I literally love having him in our team,” he added.
Tim Paine had an incredible outing as a batsman in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval. His unbeaten 99-ball 73 was instrumental in Australia recovering from a precarious position of 7-111 to eventually post 191 all-out, narrowing down the deficit to just 53 in the process.
Also Read- Tim Paine Is Doing Pretty Well – Ian Healy Backs The Australian Skipper To Keep Leading The Side
