Tim Paine was caught sledging Indian batsman Ravichandra Ashwin on the Sydney test's final day, saying he made a mistake in a post-match conference on Tuesday.
Highlights:
- Australian skipper Tim Paine has apologised for his behaviour during Sydney test match.
- He was heard insulting Indian batsman Ravichandran Ashwin on Sydney test's final day.
- Tim Paine said he let the pressure get the best of him.
"I want to apologise for the way I went about things yesterday. I'm someone who prides themselves on the way I lead this team and yesterday was a poor reflection of the team," Paine said.
Listen to what Tim Paine had said on the ground:
Australian skipper was heard calling Ashwin a '****head' while the Indian batsmen were trying to save the match.
'Bitterly disappointed'
"I let the pressure of the game get to me. It affected my mood and my performance.
"I've had a really poor game as a leader … yesterday I fell short of my expectations and our team's standards. I'm human. I want to apologise for the mistakes I made yesterday.
My mood throughout the whole Test match was a bit off. The way I spoke to the umpires was unacceptable.
"It's certainly not a reflection of the way I want to lead this team. We've set high standards over the last few months and … I'm bitterly disappointed.
"I've got to cop that on the chin. It's certainly not a reflection of how I want to do it going forward.
"I fell short of my own standards and expectations. I'm bitterly disappointed with that."
What did Tim Paine say?
The Australian skipper and wicketkeeper evidently sought to get under Ashwin's skin as Australia struggled to get Indian wickets.
"I can't wait to get you to the Gabba," Paine is heard to say over the stump microphone.
"Just like we want to get you to India, it will be your last series," Ashwin responded.
"Are you a selector here as well? At least my teammates like me, dickhead… got more Indian friends than you," Paine continued as Ashwin was forced to step away from the crease on multiple occasions.
Australian Test cricket captain Tim Paine is seen wearing a McGrath Foundation baggy pink hat ahead of a team training session, at the SCG Source: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
"Even your teammates think you're a goose. Don't they?
"How many IPL teams wanted you when you asked them to have you...' I'll come if I'm captain'."
'It's embarrassing'
Many senior and former cricketers and fans have condemned Paine's behaviour.
Ex-England & Yorkshire cricketer, Darren Gough said Tim Paine's behaviours was embarrassing.
"Australia are supposed to have sorted everything out with Tim Paine! All I'll say is this... get your act together right now. It is embarrassing," he told talkSport.
Indian cricket analyst Ramesh Srivats said, "Tim Paine seems to be better at sledges than edges," pointing to Paine's misfielding.
Former Indian test cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has called for Tim Paine's removal from the Australian captaincy.
"Firstly, as captain, he's got no tactical nous at all," Gavaskar said on India Today.
"When you're having someone like Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins – with the kind of pace and bounce that they generate – not to have a fielder at leg gully to two Indian batsmen who aren't very tall, it just tells you you have no idea about captaincy.
"When you fend the ball off around your shoulder, the oddball is going to go up in the air. It happened in the first Test, and in this Test, there was a couple of opportunities, but they didn't have anybody there."
Earlier in the test, Tim Paine was fined 15 per cent of his match fee by the ICC after an audible obscenity was heard in an exchange he had with umpire Paul Wilson following a controversial umpiring decision.
The Sydney test ended in a draw.
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