On the fringes of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024, former Australian cricketers Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh shared their candid thoughts about England, their fiercest rivals, and Test captain Ben Stokes in an exclusive interview with CricTracker.
One of the most intense rivalries in cricket is that between Australia and England. When the two teams clash in the Ashes or even in limited-overs matches, it is clear that they still have fondness for one another. In the most recent Ashes, which took place in England last year, Australia emerged victorious in the series 2-2 but kept the urn. During the ODI World Cup 2023, Ahmedabad hosted another thrilling match in which the Men in Yellow prevailed by a margin of 33 runs. In the T20 World Cup, the Australians defeated the Three Lions in the opening round last month.
Paine and Marsh were asked during a rapid-fire round what word immediately came to mind when they heard the term “England Cricket Team.” Paine answered sarcastically, “Blah”. Marsh appeared to be at a loss for words at this point, but Paine offered him the word “Bazball” to help. The response to England’s very aggressive Bazball tactic in Test cricket has been inconsistent, and it’s unclear if it will significantly alter the nature of the game in its purest form.
Tim Paine spoke out when asked what they thought of Ben Stokes‘ England Cricket Team, saying, “Attacking, aggressive! How are things going? We’ll behave well.
In an Ashes 2023 documentary, Stokes evaluated England’s performance and stated that those who saw his team play would always remember them. The former Australian wicketkeeper-batter, however, took issue with this judgement. But this did not sit well with Paine, who, based on their recent performances, described them as a below-average cricket squad.
Also Read: “Cooper Connolly recalls his jazzed 1st Australia call-up: “I couldn’t sit still.”
England is presently residing at the bottom of the 2023–2025 cycle points table, having missed the World Test Championship (WTC) finals the previous year.
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