Adelaide: Australian skipper Tim Paine said Wednesday said that batting mainstay Steve Smith will play in the first Test against India. Concerns were raised bout Smith’s fitness after he missed a couple of practice sessions due to a stiff back. Tim Paine told reporters it was not a serious niggle and a day’s rest came as a ‘blessing in disguise’ for the batsman.
“We expect Steve to be there. He has had a stiff back a number of times before. You can have that if you bat as much as he does at the nets,” Paine said at the pre-match media interaction here. “He has a stiff back before and yesterday was more precautionary. Obviously, come tomorrow (Thursday), he gets through stiff back and finds a way to score runs like he always does,” added Paine.
The skipper also revealed that he has been discussing his ‘future’ with coach Justin Langer and chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns. Paine was named captain after Steve Smith’s unceremonious removal from the post following the ball-tampering scandal. He knows well that he isn’t a powerhouse performer like his predecessor. However, he asserted that he has been playing his role to perfection in the current Australian set up.
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“We will wait and see,” the 36-year-old Paine said when asked if he has been contemplating his future both as a player and a leader.
“From the very first time I came back into this Test team, when I wasn’t the captain, I wouldn’t look past another series. When you are young, things can be taken away from you really quickly. I have been talking to Trevor Hohns and JL (Langer) about when and how we might look into the future. But right now my eyes are firmly set on the series.”
For someone without a Test hundred in 31 appearances and a modest batting average of just 30-plus, Paine said that he has performed his role which includes batting with the tail.
“In terms of my captaincy, it’s been okay as I have a role to play in this group like everyone else does. As long as I keep doing that, we are all happy. My job is to keep and captain and score some handy runs with the tail and yeah that’s my role. It’s going for me pretty well,” informed Paine.
The options for opening slot are still fluid and Paine didn’t want to give away anything despite the persistent questioning from the home media on whether Joe Burns with his wretched run of form is still an option.
“I can’t (say) at the moment,” Paine said. “We know two people would be opening tomorrow, but we will be keeping that in house at the moment. Look, if Joe walks out to bat tomorrow, we have full confidence in him, to do his job. Stability in good sports team is important and that’s what we have tried to build in last two years,” asserted Paine.
