The Hardest Day Of Cricket I've Ever Had In My Life: Tim Paine
Credits: Getty

With every passing game, Tim Paine is getting a harsh reality check on what captaincy is all about. He has been assigned to lead a team which has its imaged tarnished following the ball-tampering scandal and is without two of its biggest stars- Steve Smith and David Warner. And for the time being, it is safe to say that Paine is not even close to achieving the task he has been assigned.

On Tuesday, Australia suffered yet another low as England thrashed them by a record 242 runs. It was Australia’s biggest defeat in ODIs, bettering the 206-run defeat they had suffered at the hands of New Zealand way back in 1986. Paine’s decision to bowl first on a belter of a Trent Bridge turned out to be a nightmare. English batsmen looked in mood right from the start and blew away Australia to score the highest-ever ODI total.

England piled up a staggering 481 for 6 in the allotted 50 overs. Centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales, plus a 21-ball half-century from Eoin Morgan  helped them eclipse the 444 for three they made at the same venue against Pakistan two years ago. Overall, England thrashed 41 fours and 21 sixes.

Bairstow smashed 139 – his fourth ODI century in six games – while Hales hit 147. Bairstow’s knock came off just 92 balls and contained 15 fours and 5 sixes. On the other hand, Hales hit 16 fours and 5 sixes during his 147-run knock.

Read More  Shaheen Afridi's stint over, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan recommended for Pakistan captaincy by new selection committee
The Hardest Day Of Cricket I've Ever Had In My Life: Tim Paine
Credits: Getty

What made the day even worse for the Aussies was yet another batting failure. On a good batting pitch, they were all out for 239 in 37 overs. Barring Travis Head, who scored 51, none of the other batsmen could put up a good fight.

With this loss, Australia have conceded the five-match series. And in the process, they suffered back-to-back ODI series defeats against England for the first time in 41 years.

Speaking after the game, Paine termed the day as the ‘hardest day of cricket’ for him and hoped that the team learns its lessons from the hiding.

“We have a really inexperienced attack and we would be foolish not to go through it and learn from it,” Paine said.

“But the best place for these guys to learn is on the job. The hardest day of cricket I’ve ever had in my life.

“As bad as it seems and it feels right now, this can be a really big positive for us going forward, that we have gone through a day like this and the guys realise the sun comes up tomorrow and we get another crack at England in two days’ time,” he added.

The Hardest Day Of Cricket I've Ever Had In My Life: Tim Paine
Credits: Getty

Paine further spared a thought for his bowlers who were hit all around the park throughout. Andrew Tye conceded 100 of his 9 overs while his teammates also had a similar day at the office.

Read More  Amid rift rumors, Hardik Pandya's Mumbai Indians to miss Suryakumar Yadav for...

“When we are out there it’s all about staying as calm and as clear as possible,” he said.

“And that can be really difficult for a bowler when you are getting smacked around the ground and the crowd is going berserk.

“It can be hard to stay on track and even the simplest plans can be forgotten.

“I was just trying to remain as calm as I possibly could with them. I know they are a really inexperienced attack and we just kept talking about what we could do and what we said we would do and trying to keep it calm and simple.

The Hardest Day Of Cricket I've Ever Had In My Life: Tim Paine
Credits: Getty

“When those players are putting you under pressure it doesn’t matter who you are, you can lose your line and length and we certainly did at times.

“Our bowlers kept running in and our fielding energy and stuff like that was really good for 50 overs.

“As I said, the best place for these guys to learn is out in the middle and we’d be foolish not to learn anything from today.

“No doubt we’ll talk about it at length and get some things out of it,” he added.

Australia will now be looking to avoid a humiliating whitewash when they play the fourth ODI at Durham’s Chester-le-Street venue on Thursday.

 

Read More  Rajasthan Royals Playing 11 vs Delhi Capitals- IPL 2024, Match 9

An avid cricket lover, I just love this game more than anything. Writing about cricket keeps me closer to the game.