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Justin Langer. (Fake images)
Australian Coach Justin langer gave pattern under fire Tim paine their “100 percent” support and harsh criticism Steve Smith as “absolute rubbish” on Wednesday after a backlash against the couple’s behavior in the third test drawn against India in Sydney.
Paine’s captaincy has come under fire after he launched a nasty verbal tirade against Ravichandran Ashwin of India and Smith was charged with foul play after seemingly scraping batter Rishabh Pant’s guard on the crease during a tense final day.
But an outraged Langer would accept none of that.
“Do I have faith in Tim Paine? You have no idea how much faith I have in Tim Paine,” he said.
“He didn’t have his best day, there is no doubt about that, but after three years he has barely removed a hair.
“He has been outstanding as an Australian captain in everything he does. He had a frustrating day and we have to put him down for a bit.”
Goalkeeper Paine, guilty of dropping three catches on the final day, apologized, admitting frustration overcame him when he tried to unsettle Ashwin, who held out for more than three hours for 39 unbeaten while the tourists recovered a draw.
Stump’s microphones caught Paine making a series of picks, including calling Ashwin a “fucking head.”
Paine had already been fined for dissenting after an expletive-laden spiel against referee Paul Wilson on the second day, and the incidents undermined Langer’s drive to renew the team’s toxic culture after the “gate ball handling scandal.” of sandpaper “in 2018.
While backing Paine to continue as captain “for a while yet,” Langer also acknowledged that criticism would come if someone deviated from the high standards the team now sets for itself.
“When you set a standard as high as he is, and we do, we understand that we get criticized when you’re below that level. It’s not what it’s about,” he said.
“But Tim is an outstanding leader and will continue to be for some time to come. He has my 100 percent support.”
Images of Smith, who was the captain of Australia during the sandpaper scandal and banned for a year, suggested that he deliberately interfered with Pant’s batting guard, a mark on the crease to tell where your feet are in relation to the wicket behind you.
The No. 4 is famous for his quirks, including shadow hitting while fielding, and he flatly denied doing anything wrong.
“As for Steve Smith, I literally can’t believe some of the garbage I’ve read, a lot of garbage,” Langer said.
“I mean, anyone who knows Steve Smith, he’s a little quirky … and we’ve all laughed at that for the past few years.
“What Steve Smith does in the fold he probably does in most games, he’s just thinking about the game. Anyone who suggests for a millisecond that he was trying to do something inappropriate is out of line.
“In that wicket, which was so flat, and it was like concrete, you’d need 15-inch spikes to indent the crease and he didn’t get close to the crease,” Langer added.
“Seriously, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous.”
The fourth and final round begins on Friday in Brisbane, with the series locked at 1-1.
