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Tim Paine has revealed he spoke to Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the plight of the Ashes this summer. England players have all but confirmed that they will be touring for the marquee series, with England cricket officials ready to give their approval this weekend. But it came after lengthy negotiations between the two countries, amid fears over lockdowns and quarantine requirements for players and families.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also raised the issue of the tour with Morrison last month, to make sure it takes off. And Paine confirmed on Friday that he too had heard that England captain Joe Root had agreed to go on tour, after Morrison contacted him about it as well.
“I had some contact with [Morrison] but I finished my time as a test captain, ”Paine told his SEN Hobart show. “He always touches the base to see how it goes. He was eager to find out what the sticking points might have been from a players perspective. “
Meanwhile, Paine also hit back at former England captain Nasser Hussain, who criticized the Aussie captain this week for his lack of empathy. Paine said on his show last week that the Ashes would move forward with or without Joe Root, saying this would be worked out at the board and government level before players make any decisions.
This prompted Hussain to criticize Paine’s stance, pointing out that England had played 18 tests during the pandemic compared to Australia’s four.
“I would like a bit of clarification on this,” Paine said. “I certainly haven’t heard any quarantine lectures like Nasser Hussain said. I think it was nonsense [former England batsman] Rob Key. I thought I pretty much played it with a straight bat. Gave some facts. But it comes with the territory when you play against England.
Paine also engaged in trade with Key and scoffed at Barmy Army’s criticism of his test record versus Root’s. A social media post from the English fan group this week pointed out that Root’s total race count for 2021 was only 80 less than Paine’s career tally.
“I would say apples and oranges, but it’s not even that,” Paine said. “It’s far from each other. Barmy’s army watches cricket a lot. You would think they would understand the game more than that. Joe Root, if he didn’t score more points than I did, he would have a serious problem. They rely on him to win bat games of cricket, I’m a little piece of the puzzle.
Paine, however, said it was “sad” that Barmy Army could not tour this year, given the atmosphere they add to the Ashes contests.
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