Justin Langer Backs Tim Paine To Lead Until ICC World Test Championship

Australia’s head coach Justin Langer has backed Test skipper Tim Paine to continue as the skipper at least until the World Test Championship final at Lord’s in 2021. Notably, Paine’s place in the playing XI has been questionned by many after a poor spell of outing with the bat. Currently, India and Australia look in an excellent spot to reach the finals after finishing the year in the top-two in the points table.

The wicket-keeper-batsman took over the baton as the skipper during the toughest period of Australian cricket. With Steve Smith and David Warner banned for their role in ball-tampering, Australia needed someone strong to revive their culture, and Tim Paine did an outstanding job alongside head coach Justin Langer. The duo complimented each other well which helped them retain the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.

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Paine will continue to lead until 2021 – Justin Langer

Although Paine led the team with strong hands but he struggled to knock runs with the bat. His consistent poor returns questionned his place in the playing XI, but Justin Langer has backed his skipper to continue until the ICC World Test Championship. Incidentally, Steve Smith’s ban to lead Australia again ends after the ongoing series and a section of people has already started a bandwagon to give him the captaincy back. But Langer has quashed all those reports.

“Truthfully, I can’t see one reason why he wouldn’t,” Langer said. “His last game – you judge on his last performance – he was probably pushing to be Man of the Match. He had eight dismissals, 70-odd with the bat, and the way he played his innings was what was most exciting. The way he leads the group. I just literally can’t think of one reason at the moment, he’s so fit, as to why he wouldn’t keep playing for as long as he wants to or needs to,” he added. 

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Justing Langer has always stressed the importance of Tim Paine in the playing XI and echoed the same words once again. Paine had a great game in the last Test against New Zealand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground playing a fine knock of 79 runs and doing some swift work behind the wicket. Langer said the incumbent skipper is fit enough to be in the playing XI and will continue to lead.

“The truth is there’s been conjecture from outside; there’s never been one millisecond of conjecture from within our team,” Langer said. “I said at the start of the summer, he’s almost our most important player because he’s a very good leader, his captaincy is excellent, he’s the best wicketkeeper in the world, he’s as fit as anyone in the group, and we knew that if he believed he could bat as well as we think we can then you’ll see results like we did in the last Test and at times during the Ashes,” he concluded.