Ex-Australia captain Tim Paine blasts England’s ‘over the top’ style and tips his side to win 4-1

Tim Paine, the former Australia captain who lost the role in 2021 after sending lewd text messages, has criticised England’s ‘over-the-top’ approach to the Ashes.

Paine, wicketkeeper during the Australian Sandpapergate scandal in South Africa, was stripped of the captaincy he had inherited from the sacked Steve Smith when explicit messages he sent to a Cricket Tasmania employee in 2017 became public.

But he has put the boot in to Ben Stokes’ team.

‘England have probably taken it a step too far,’ Paine tells Mail Sport, referring to Bazball, ‘and that ultra-positive approach has actually gone outside of their cricket skills. 

‘The declaration (in the first Test), the way they are talking in the media. The whole thing has been completely taken over the top.’

The wicket-keeper batsman retained the Ashes while captaining Australia in the 2019 series

Paine has described Ben Stokes’ and England’s Bazball style as ‘over the top’ – and tips his old side to win the series 4-1 after taking a 2-0 lead following a controversial second Test at Lord’s

The 38-year-old predicts Australia, 2-0 up in the series going into the third Test at Headingley, will win at least four of the five Tests due to England’s lack of pace.

‘Having someone like Jofra Archer and Mark Wood offers a completely different dynamic,’ he says. ‘If you have someone bowling that fast, it’s a completely different feeling in the changing rooms when you’re waiting to bat. 

‘Facing someone like that as opposed to someone like Ollie Robinson is a different challenge. There’s no fear factor at all. Just a challenge of dealing the skill.

‘Players like Lyon and Cummins aren’t hanging around for long when you’ve got raw pace. That’s why I was so confident at Edgbaston. I have no doubt the dynamic of the series would be different if England had a fit Archer or Wood.’

Four years ago, Australia retained the Ashes with a 2-2 draw but threw away the chance to seal the series at the Oval with Paine in charge. But the Aussie thinks now they will end the 22-year wait for a series win on English soil.

‘There’s no doubt about how desperate our guys will be to finish the job off. They won’t get a better opportunity than this. The truth is that England are ripe for the picking and I’m confident we’ll win the series and retain the Ashes outright.

‘I’m going for 4-1 depending on if Wood turns up because he can bowl a spell that could blow a Test wide open. The scary thing though is that I still think we’re getting better…’

England were furious after Jonny Bairstow (right) was dismissed controversially by Alex Carey

Paine, pictured alongside wife Bonnie, quit as captain amid a shock sexting scandal in 2021

The Australian held a teary press conference in November 2021 to announce his resignation

He must have had painful flashbacks when he watched Stokes smashing the Aussie attack around Lord’s in an assault so similar to his match-winning heroics at Headingley four years ago, when a helpless Paine was captain and wicketkeeper and unable to stem the tide.

That led to a painful Monday morning when then Aussie coach Justin Langer made the team sit through a replay of Stokes and Jack Leach’s unbeaten 76-run partnership for the 10th-wicket at the Marriott Hotel in Leeds.

‘I’d never done anything like that in cricket,’ says Paine. ‘I don’t think any of us had. It was a very Aussie Rules thing to do. And it didn’t go down well at all with the players.

‘I was in an interesting spot as captain because I was trying to reflect and look at things I should have done differently but I could tell that none of our lads wanted to be there.

‘We had all had a few beers the night before in the hotel and JL (Langer) said let’s get up in the morning, grab a coffee and go for a walk together. Everyone thought it was a good idea to stick with each other but I don’t know what happened because in between waking up and us about to walk out of the door into the city centre, he changed his mind entirely.

Paine claims England bowler Ollie Robinson (above) lacks a fear factor and feels the pace of Mark Wood or Jofra Archer would trouble Australia’s batsmen considerably more at the crease

Wood is expected to come in for England ahead of a must-win Test at Headingley on Thursday

‘We look back at it now and have a bit of a giggle and ridicule each other but I remember Nathan Lyon’s face and he wanted to be anywhere else in the world but that room.’

Four years on and lightning nearly struck twice at Lord’s.

‘It was an amazing innings (from Stokes),’ admits Paine. ‘He’s one of the greats no doubt. With him in the game, regardless of the difference in the sides, England are never out of a Test match.

‘But this is a more experienced and calmer Australia team. It’s no doubt a better cricket team (than in 2019). One-on-one, there is only Joe Root and Stokes that could get into the Australia side. There’s more than one way to skin a cat and we’re seeing it in this series.’