Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has said that Tim Paine is the best keeper in the world, and that he should remain captain for as long as he wants to.
Paine said that he won't be participating in this year's Big Bash League (BBL) in order to focus on playing red-ball cricket.
Tim Paine became the first captain since Steve Waugh in 2001 to successfully take the urn back home from England after the five-match series ended in a 2-2 draw.
"It's about time the bloody umpires intervened. Every time I read it's part of the game I think it's the greatest load of rubbish I've ever heard."
Ponting, who is serving as Australia assistant coach, also narrated what went on with the team after Paine won the toss as the development took him in utter surprise.
Australia retained the Ashes after winning the Manchester Test and now lead the five-match Test series 2-1 with one match to go at The Oval.
Steve Smith was announced the man-of-the-match in the fourth Test for his contribution of 293 runs in the game, which included a double century.
Smith is expected to return for the fourth Test starting from September 4 after England rode Ben Stokes' epic 135 not out to level the five-match series 1-1.
Tim Paine made no bones about the fact that the heart-breaking loss in the third Test did hurt the morale of the team.
Mitchell Starc has turned to 'Game of Thrones' to push his case for the Headingley Test after sitting out the first two games of the Ashes series.
Tim Paine made his Test debut for Australia at Lord's in 2010 and he is now returning there as the captain of the Australian cricket team.
Former Australia skipper Steve Waugh went a step further and said that Steve Smith has the ability to read the opposition and their tactics and that helps him in trying situations.
"Running out of things to say about him, probably the best Test match performance we've seen," said Paine in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Ponting's comments came in after Smith was seen offering advice to bowlers and discussing with Paine on numerous occasions during the first Ashes Test match.
England vs Australia Live Cricket Streaming 1st ashes test match, Day 1: Watch ENG vs AUS Live Cricket Match Online Stream on SonyLIV and TV Telecast on Sony SIX, Sky Sports in England and Channel 9 in Australia. Also, get Live Updates at IndiaTV Sports.
England and Australia's rivalry go back to 1882 and with every passing series, it has intensified. This year's series will be the 71st and currently, the Aussies have the coveted urn, which they won in 2016-17.
England and Australia's rivalry go back to 1882 and with every passing series, it has intensified. This year's series will be the 71st and currently, the Aussies have the coveted urn, which they won in 2016-17.
The World Test Championship gets underway on 1 August 2019 and will comprise of the top nine teams in the Test rankings, who will play 71 Test matches in 27 series across two years.
Khawaja had picked up a hamstring injury during Australia's clash against South Africa in the recently concluded World Cup and was subsequently ruled out of the tournament.
Tim Paine sustained the injury during a match against South Australia in Adelaide, which Tasmania won by six wickets.
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