Tim Paine calls out 'double standards' as he takes brutal dig at Ben Stokes' captaincy

Why you're reading this: Australia defeated England by 2 wickets in the first Ashes Test on Monday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Australian captain Pat Cummins played a vital knock of 44 off 73 balls to help his team win the match. Despite the triumph, debate has raged on regarding the approaches of both teams. While England displayed an aggressive style throughout the match, some fans and former cricketers felt that Cummins was overly defensive in his captaincy decisions.

3 things you need to know

• In a rare occurrence, England declared their first innings on the opening day of the Edgbaston Test
• England declared at 393/8 despite Joe Root batting at an unbeaten score of 118
• England went into the 2nd innings with a 7-run lead but couldn't capitalise on the advantage

Also Read: Ashes 2023: Ben Stokes Deploys Never-seen-before Fielding Tactic To Dismiss Usman Khawaja

Former Australia captain Tim Paine, who has previously led Cummins, dismissed these opinions and asserted that both teams played to their respective strengths. Paine also pointed out the presence of double standards in the narratives surrounding both sides. Paine said both England and Australia had come to the game with some clear strategies - be it attack or defence. 

“I thought it was pretty much as I expected to be honest. I think Australia were always going to set slightly what you can call defensive fields if you like. I think they were no different really to Ben Stokes. Ben Stokes and England make some funky fields and all of a sudden it's genius. Australia put a couple of people on the fence and all of a sudden it's defensive. I think there were some clear strategies from both sides, whether it was attack or defense,” Paine said on SEN podcast ‘Whateley’.

Also Read: Ben Stokes Comes Out With Blazing Response When Asked If Bazball Backfired In Ashes Test

Following the first Ashes Test, Stokes expressed no regrets about declaring England's first innings at 393-8 on the opening day, and head coach Brendon McCullum supported the skipper's approach of taking the game to the opposition.

"We always want to try and take the game forward. We want to try and seize opportunities where we think we can put opposition teams under pressure. We firmly believe, the skipper and I, that this gives us our greatest chance. I would be very surprised if there was too many people who disagree with how we go about playing because everyone was left entertained," McCullum said.

Image: AP