3 reasons why Tim Paine is an underrated cricketer

Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine today (March 17) retired from all forms of domestic cricket with immediate effect.

Paine played his last game for his state side Tasmania against Queensland in Hobart. He received a guard of honor from his teammates as well as opponents as he left the ground.

Paine has represented Australia in 35 Tests, 35 ODIs, and 12 T20Is since making his international debut back in 2009. While Paine has not enjoyed a long career for his country, he did have his share of moments in the limited opportunities that he got. Yet, he never really got the credit that he deserved.

Here, we look at three reasons why Tim Paine is an underrated cricketer.

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#1 Took over as captain in a tough period

Tim Paine was thrown into the deep end by Cricket Australia during the Newlands Test in 2018 as he was appointed as the captain mid-game. This was immediately after the infamous ball-tampering saga rocked Australia. He had to take over the mantle of leading the side in a terrible way, but he lived up to the expectations of the public, who were restless at that point in time.

There was immense scrutiny on the Australian team with regard to their behavior, team culture, and sportsmanship. Paine, being at the helm of affairs, was always under a microscope but instead of succumbing to the pressures of the job, he embraced it.

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#2 Left the team in a much better state

Australia v India: 4th Test: Day 2

As already mentioned, Australian cricket was in a lot of turbulence when Paine took over in 2018. Paine's last Test incharge came in 2021 when India quite miraculously beat his side at the Gabba.

It's fair to say that Tim Paine left Australia in a much better state than it was when he took over the captaincy. There is a visible difference in the way Australia plays cricket these days and it seems that they have finally managed to strike a healthy balance between being respectful and competitive.

Justin Langer, Australia's Head Coach for most of Paine's tenure, has previously mentioned that no one could have done the job better than Paine. He was a central figure in Australia's bid to improve their image, not only as a cricket team but as a country.

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#3 Has been quite a tough character

In 2010, Tim Paine suffered a career-threatening injury to his right index finger while playing a charity game. His injury took two seasons of cricket away from him and he had to go through seven surgeries to get the issue sorted. He admitted that he hated cricket at the time and spent his days crying on the couch.

However, Paine kept at it and returned stronger than ever. This is just one instance of him being a tough character as he has done the same multiple times in his career. At a time when many thought that his international career was done and dusted, Paine toiled hard and made a comeback during the 2018 Ashes series.