Under pressure against an Indian side showing gallantry on multiple fronts, Paine and Wade reverted to habits allegedly eradicated in the post-sandpaper cultural shift.
Wrong time and place for that stuff, at every time and place. Paine sorely let himself down. If a spectator called Ashwin a dickhead, he might expect to be ejected by police. It’s not good enough to be Prince Charming when you’re winning.
A match such as this was one where real character and respect could have been displayed. Desperate to avoid a draw that would have felt like a loss, Paine started chipping away at Ashwin. “Can’t wait to get you to the Gabba. At least my teammates like me, dickhead.”
Childish and regrettable stuff from the leader of the nation. It came at the height of a thrilling sporting contest, one that Paine interrupted with sledging. It diminished the moment and lacked integrity.
No one involved in the Australian side would be proud of it. India legend Sunil Gavaskar, a gentleman if ever there was one, said in commentary: “Ridiculous. Absolutely unnecessary. It has been such a fabulous cricket match.”
Perhaps Paine should have concentrated more on his wicketkeeping. If he’s so willing to call a spade a shovel, he could be reminded his three dropped catches might have spilt the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Gavaskar politely pointed out that Jasprit Bumrah was rather keen on having a trundle on the Brisbane pitch, too, before ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting said Paine’s sights should be set on the SCG rather than the Gabba.
Next over, Paine grassed another chance, giving the Indians the last laugh. Talk was proved to be cheap.
Wade’s behaviour was odd. Struck on the body while fielding in close, he twice pretended to charge at the Indian batsman, as if he wanted to shoulder charge him. Given the tourists’ challenges on multiple fronts, including an injury toll so severe Gavaskar might like to pad up for the Gabba Test, they deserved more respect.
When the dust settled on a riveting contest, Paine’s errors had blown it for Australia and Wade had provided more niggling running commentary than actual runs in a Test to be long remembered.
Wade lunged at the batters with a snarl and not a smile. He pretended to collapse and then shouted, “Spray. Spray.” He was taking the mickey out of India’s in-close fielders calling for treatment when they were hit. The verbals were OK. The rest was a bit of rubbish before Paine descended to complete rubbish.
Nothing could sound more dumb than calling Ashwin a dickhead. All so regrettable at the end of a fine contest already marred by allegations of crowd racism. The post Cape Town mantra has been to play hard but fair, to respect the game and opponents, to compete fiercely while also being good blokes. Paine failed on most of those fronts after already being fined for throwing an F-bomb at umpire Paul Wilson.
From prime ministers to newspaper editors to corporate CEOs to school principals to NRL and AFL coaches to Olympic chiefs to Wallabies mentors to Test cricket captains, anyone in a position of authority wants to leave the joint a better place than in which it was found. Paine was well on track to doing that, but he hurt his own legacy more than Ashwin’s feelings in Sydney.
Paine has done well as skipper. He’s won 11 Tests, lost seven and drawn four. The Ashes were retained last year. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy might still be regained. A team despised at home after Cape Town has played mostly in such a hard-but-fair manner that the respect of the cricket and general sporting public had returned. They were popular again. They were watchable again.
Both achievements could be called into question after the events of Monday. Paine had been successful in leading a tremendous rescue mission after Cape Town, a fierce and successful competitor while simultaneously being a good bloke. A walking, talking example of what we all wanted Australian cricket, and Australian cricketers, to be. Hard but fair. That went out the window as India hung on for a draw.
Paine should have known better in a match already tainted by allegations of racism. We want visitors to these shores to return home with warm memories of this country, don’t we? Hard but fair, hard but fair, hard but fair. It’s as simple and achievable as that. The match was drawn but India won on all fronts.
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Cringe-worthy behaviour from Tim Paine and Matthew Wade. For the Australia captain to call India’s Ravi Ashwin a “dickhead” during a gloriously tense finish to the SCG Test unravelled a whole lot of his commendable work since the Cape Town humiliation.