Nathan Lyon picks Tim Paine over Steve Smith as Australia's Test captain

Since his captaincy debut in 2018, Tim Paine has led Australian team out of one of its darkest times. After Sandpapergate 2018, Australian cricket had lost a lot of credibility and a new core team was formed with new head coach Justin Langer and captain Tim Paine. Later, Paine remained Test captain while Aaron Finch became ODI captain for Australia. However, discussions still continue over Steve Smith returning as captain of Australia.

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Nathan Lyon sees problem with Tim Paine

Recently, Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon talked to a few reporters on a video call. According to Yahoo Sports Australia, during this call, Nathan Lyon affirmed his belief in Test captain Tim Paine's leadership abilities despite his . Paine is already 35 and a lot of speculation has emerged over his imminent retirement. se conversations are furr supported by fact that Steve Smith's captaincy ban has ended so it is technically possible that former captain can be reinstated.

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Nathan Lyon lauds Tim Paine's leadership during tough times

However, Nathan Lyon seemed satisfied with Paine's leadership and explained in his interview that Paine has taken on responsibility of being Australian captain very well. off-spinner even added that Tim Paine seems to be getting better at captaincy by minute. Lyon lauded Paine for standing up for Australian cricket at a time when all was falling apart. It was under Paine that Nathan Lyon helped Australia retain Ashes in 2019.

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Steve Smith's road to being captain again is also t without competition as even if Tim Paine retires, Pat Cummins will also remain as a viable option for being Australia's Test captain. pacer is currently vice-captain of red-ball team and has been fascinating in format. Australia's complete journey of redemption including Tim Paine's captaincy and Ashes can be understood in " Test" docuseries. 8-episode series is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.

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