It was with just enough of the old and just enough of the new that Tim Paine’s side found the necessary balance to win their first international fixture under his tutelage. Both captains acknowledged the runs made by the hosts at the start of the Test were the biggest input to the result, a base that allowed the Australian attack to swamp their opposition four days later – a business model they made their own for two decades when they were the top of the world.
Getting ahead in the game also allowed them to project themselves accordingly, Paine himself taking responsibility for pushing back against the hyperactivity of his opposite number, Virat Kohli, that dominated so much of the colour and movement through the middle days of this Test. When it all came together on the fourth evening and fifth morning in Perth, it was the best sign yet of a welcome thaw in Australia’s long winter.
“I am relieved,” Paine freely admitted. Given all that has happened since he inherited the armband in Johannesburg – a one-day whitewash in England thrown in there too, not to mention a couple of culture reviews – that’s understandable. “The first two Tests have been really, really tough. Both teams have outstanding fast-bowling attacks. It’s been really bruising. We have some really inexperienced players in terms of Test matches. To get a win like that against the best team in the world is going to give them a huge boost of confidence.”
One of Paine’s most repeated lines when explaining to the nation how the side would change under him was an insistence that their cricket would define them. He touched on it again after the win in Perth, explaining that playing with “skill not emotion” has been the starting point of the rebuild. “That is really important,” he said. “We know our best cricket is played when we put emotion aside, or most of it, and just concentrate on skill.”
This is where the equilibrium they found in Perth was vital, with Kohli determined to extract any advantage he could by rattling the inexperienced hosts. Paine, astutely, realised that could not go on any longer. “There are times when you have to get involved,” he said. “You have to stick up for your mates and I think we are finding a really good balance in that sense. I’m really happy with the way we are going about it. Its my role as captain to make sure we are staying on track. We know what works for this team, for me it is about making sure we keep going down that path. We have slowly been building in to our style I am really proud.”
Asked whether confronting Kohli was the moment he put his own stamp on the job as skipper, Paine was reluctant to buy in. In response he cited the line, but it came with an awful lot more authority than when his predecessor referenced it. “You’ve just got to read the situation,” he said. “At times you have got to draw a line and start sticking up for yourself and sticking up for your teammates. We are really passionate about playing for Australia and we are certainly not going to sit back and be walked all over. Sometimes those things happen and you have to get involved. Was it a decision as a captain to try and assert myself on the game? No.”
On the chest bump that nearly was on Monday, Paine allowed himself a brief laugh noting that they got pretty close. As for Kohli’s broader approach, he had nothing but nice things to say when the contest was over, by contrast to the cheeky exchange that was picked up on the stump microphone the night before. “I love it,” he said. “I enjoy watching him, I always have. I think he brings out the competitive spirit in a lot of people which is great, and I’m sure it was great to watch.”
In addition to praise for his opening batsman, Paine had plenty of love for his top dog Nathan Lyon, who picked up the man of the match gong for his eight wickets, making 16 for the series already. With 334 career scalps, Lyon is now only 21 behind Dennis Lillee – third on the all-time chart for Australians. “His bowling in the first innings was, again, unbelievably good,” the captain said. “It does seem like he is getting better. I feel like at any stage you can throw him the ball. It doesn’t matter at what end, or who is on strike, what time of day it is, he loves it and he loves getting in the contest, even with the bat at the moment, I think his game keeps going to another level, I can feel guys growing in confidence around Nathan and that’s what you want form your senior players.”
Where improvement can and must be found is in the middle order. With so much emphasis placed on centuries by Justin Langer before naming his first Test squad as coach earlier in the year, no Australian has posted three figures in the series. Paine sees that as the logical next step, having successfully avoided any other epic collapses that have defined this side for many years before he was in charge. “I said in Adelaide this was going to be a long, tough series,” he said. “The longer we can bat in the first couple of Test matches, we might see some benefit of that in the back end with the last two Tests in Sydney and Melbourne.”
With that noted, Paine stopped short of endorsing the same side for the the next Test at the MCG. It has been confirmed that Aaron Finch will be fit for selection after injuring but not fracturing his right index finger when batting in the second innings. Peter Handscomb, however – having recorded a double failure at Perth – could be dropped for the second consecutive summer. “If it’s this XI then great,” Paine said “But if we have to make some changes I am sure will talk about that at some stage.”
It is the best possible result for administrators heading into the biggest Test of the year on Boxing Day. Too often a dead rubber, this could not be more alive with the hosts right in the series against the No 1 team in the world. “But it means nothing as soon as we get to next week at the MCG,” Paine warned. “It’s going to be on again from ball one.”
