Tim Paine Hints At ODI Retirement After 5-0 Whitewash Against England

Following the humiliating 5-0 whitewash at the hands of England, Australia skipper Tim Paine has hinted that he might quit One-day Internationals in order to concentrate fully on his Test career.

Paine was named as the Test and ODI skipper after the ball-tampering scandal led to the banning of Steven Smith and David Warner following the one-year sanction from Cricket Australia (CA).

However, his stint as ODI skipper started on a disastrous note. England drubbed the Kangaroos by 5-0. It was England’s first-ever whitewash win against Australia in a five-match series.

Down 4-0 in the series, Australia needed a good show in the final ODI to avoid a whitewash. However, their batsmen came up with their worst performance in the series.

The reigning world champions managed just 205 with the bat. They did better with the ball, reducing England to 114 for eight at one stage.

But Jos Buttler came up with a stunning batting show to guide England to a thrilling one-wicket win. He remained unbeaten on 110 off 122 deliveries, as England chased down the total with eight balls to spare.

What has made things even worse for Paine is his batting. He scored just 36 runs across the five matches, the lowest ever return by an Australian ODI skipper in a five-match series. And Paine has now admitted is his future in the ODI team is uncertain.

“All I know is I was coming here to do this series and I’ve said a few times before, when you are my age it’s a bit foolish to look ahead,” Paine told Cricket Australia’s website.

“Certainly, I am really looking forward to captaining the Test team and continuing how I have been playing in that format. But where I go with the rest of my cricket is something we will discuss in the coming weeks,” he added.

He further conceded his struggles with the bat in as English condition have had been tough.

“Its been difficult, you play cricket to do well and this series I haven’t done that. I haven’t played anywhere near as well as I would have liked to,” He asserted.

“That happens and it’s certainly not through a lack of effort, I am trying my guts out and working really hard, I have just had one of those series. I started off poorly and couldn’t get it back on track,” he stated.

It should be noted that Paine’s appointment as ODI skipper had been a temporary measure.

National Selector Trevor Hohns, while announcing the ODI squad, had said:

“Tim is a strong leader and will captain the side for this series, supported by Aaron (Finch). A decision on a permanent one-day captain will be made in due course.”