Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has voiced frustration over the intense criticism Australia’s ODI team has faced after their recent 1-2 series loss to Pakistan. Although Australia began the series with a victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), they faltered in the following matches, suffering significant nine-wicket and eight-wicket defeats at the Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium. These losses have prompted widespread debate on the state of Australia’s ODI team, with some commentators calling the series outcome a “disaster.”
Speaking on SEN Tassie, Paine shared his disappointment with what he feels is an overreaction from prominent cricket analysts.
“It really annoyed me. People were saying, ‘Oh, I can’t believe how bad the Australian cricket team is,’ and these are top-tier cricket 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 at home, preparing for a Test series.”
Paine pointed out the absence of several key players, including Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, and Josh Hazlewood, who missed the series entirely. Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Mitchell Starc only participated in parts of it. These players were focused on preparing for the upcoming Test summer and other crucial red-ball matches, such as the important series against India. Paine emphasized that the team in the series was not the World Cup-winning squad but rather a group of younger players gaining experience at the international level.
“We’re bringing in youth to get them experience at the international level while the core players prepare for two major series—one in Test cricket and one in white-ball. Relax. It’s okay,” he said.
The absence of the World Cup-winning squad was keenly felt, as Australia managed to score only 163 and 140 when batting first in the second and third ODIs.