“Three more years”: Ian Healy backs Tim Paine to continue leading Australia in Tests

Dixit Bhargav | 23/12/2020
"Three more years": Ian Healy backs Tim Paine to continue leading Australia in Tests

Ian Healy backs Tim Paine: The former Australian wicket-keeper batsman expects the current Test captain to continue for a while.

Australia Test captain Tim Paine gained numerous accolades for scoring a match-winning half-century in the first innings of the recently concluded pink-ball Test against India in Adelaide.

In what was his eighth half-century in the format, Paine scored 73* (99) with the help of 10 fours to take Australia from 79/5 to 191/10. Such an innings from a No. 7 batsman predominantly means batting with the tail-enders which in itself is a stern challenge.

Paine, who has scored 1,403 runs at an average of 33.40 including eight half-centuries, has the second-best average for a Test Australian wicket-keeper batsman – only behind the legendary Adam Gilchrist (47.60).

Ian Healy backs Tim Paine to continue leading Australia in Tests

In a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, former Australia wicket-keeper batsman Ian Healy has backed Paine to play for “quite long” given his physical fitness. Predicting Paine to lead for three more years, Healy felt the 36-year old player is bound to reap rewards of a massive “cultural revolution”.

“I’m expecting him to play for quite long because he started so late – and it looks like he’s in great shape physically and doing it well. He’s got a job to do so that will keep him interested, keep him motivated to get that Australian side on top again and in the hearts of Australians.

“He’s led a massive cultural revolution, which has got to be draining, so I don’t have a problem if he does surprise me and finish before I reckon he will because he’s taken on so much, but I think he’s about to reap the rewards and enjoy it a lot more. I’ve got no problems saying three more years,” Healy, who represented Australia in 119 Tests and 168 ODIs, said.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Australia Ian Healy Tim Paine

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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