Brett Lee counters Shane Warne, Michael Clarke's criticism of Tim Paine

Australia's Test captain Tim Paine has been subjected to criticism from all corners after his dismal performance in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series. The player has received flak both for his underwhelming outings as a wicketkeeper, as well as his ordinary decision-making skills as the leader of the side. While several ex-Australian cricketers have lambasted the 36-year-old for losing the closely fought series, Brett Lee has come forward to show some support for the player. 

India vs Australia 4th Test: Brett Lee comes to the rescue of Tim Paine 

The wicketkeeper-batsman was handed the captaincy of the Australian Test team post the unceremonious exit of Steve Smith after the infamous Sandpapergate incident. While the player has enjoyed decent success in the position, he has been under fire after Australia failed to reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Despite India not taking the field with their preferred playing eleven due to their injury woes, the home team failed to penetrate through the Ajinkya Rahane-led side's resilience. 

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Former Australian cricketer, Shane Warne, had also suggested while commentating during the game that the embarrassing loss could spark a major fallout within the team. The spin wizard was also unimpressed with Tim Paine's leadership tactics. Apart from Shane Warne, former captain Michael Clarke has also expressed doubts regarding the side's captaincy.

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Speaking on the Big Sports Breakfast, Michael Clarke suggested that the hosts were a little too scared of losing the games. According to the 39-year-old, Australia adopted a negative approach during certain stages of the series and did not go all guns blazing to win the contests. Having set an impressive target of 328 for the visitors, Australia needed 10 wickets on Day 5 to clinch the series. However, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Rishabh Pant showcased exemplary batsmanship to successfully chase down the total in heroic fashion. 

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Former Australian fast bowler, Brett Lee countered all the criticism around Tim Paine's leadership and sided with the wicketkeeper. In a conversation with foxsports.com.au, the ex-cricketer appreciated Paine's captaincy and mentioned how the team could have adopted different plans during the Sydney Test, but also pointed out that the Australian captain was under immense pressure during the situation. Brett Lee also stated that all wicketkeepers have bad days behind the stumps, and his skills should not be judged on the basis of a form slump. Lee also opined that Paine is a technically sound batsman, and commended him for his performances with the bat. 

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India vs Australia 4th Test: Ajinkya Rahane and co. retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 

Image source: Cricket.com.au Twitter