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Ex-Australia Test skipper Tim Paine has vehemently rebuked England Test captain Ben Stokes for his assertions in the Ashes 2023 documentary. Paine issued a stark reminder to the England squad, calling them a subpar Test side and emphasizing their need to confront that fact.
Ben Stokes’ address in the documentary
In the documentary released by the ECB, Stokes asserted that his Test team would be eternally remembered by those lucky enough to witness their play. The ECB shared a segment of Stokes’ address delivered in the locker room before the 5th Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester.
“Everything we’ve done up until now isn’t going to stop because we haven’t managed to win the urn back. The reward for our work isn’t what we get, but what we become. And what we have managed to do is, we’ve managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket,” Stokes told his teammates in the dressing room.
Tim Paine slams Stokes’ remarks
Paine found Stokes’ remarks to be peculiar and out of touch, especially given that the series concluded in a 2-2 draw, allowing Australia to retain the urn. He noted that under Stokes’ and coach Brendon McCullum‘s guidance, England’s Test team is currently ranked ninth in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) cycle and missed qualifying for the final in the previous WTC edition.
“I think it was taken slightly out of context because he was talking in a changing room and it was a bigger speech, so I will say that. However, it’s just this continued belief that they’re completely changing the game and they’re doing this amazing stuff and everyone’s going to remember it but they’re not,” Paine told on SEN Tassie Breakfast.
Also READ: Ben Stokes hits back at Australian media over ‘lucky to witness’ comment
Paine’s harsh assessment of England
Paine further criticized the English side, highlighting their poor performance in the ongoing WTC, where they are ranked last. He argued that the team’s belief in their own uniqueness and lasting impact is unfounded, as their achievements are not remarkable or memorable. Paine bluntly stated that, in reality, England are an ordinary or even below-average team, urging them to acknowledge and accept their current status rather than overestimating their influence in the cricket world.
“You’re coming dead last in the World Test Championship. You’re not going to be a team that everyone remembers watching and you’re not doing anything outrageously good that we haven’t seen before. You’re an average cricket team. (Actually) you’re at the moment, a below-average cricket team and I think they need to get their head around that a little bit,” Paine added.
