'Blaahh' - Tim Paine describes England team in one word [Exclusive]

Former Australian cricketers - Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh gave their unfiltered reactions to arch-rivals England and Test captain Ben Stokes during an exclusive interview with CricTracker on the sidelines of the inaugural edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024.

Australia versus England has been one of the most high-voltage rivalries in the game of cricket. There is no love lost between the two sides and it is quite evident when they collide in the Ashes or even in the limited-overs matches. The most recent Ashes took place last year in England, where Australia retained the coveted urn after drawing the series 2-2. Another marquee clash took place in Ahmedabad during the ODI World Cup 2023 and the Men in Yellow emerged victorious by 33 runs. The Aussies also got the better of the Three Lions in the first round of the T20 World Cup last month.

Also Read: Tim Paine, Shaun Marsh shed light on Australia's love for sledging [Exclusive]

During a rapid-fire round, Paine and Marsh were asked what is the first word that comes to their mind when they hear the word 'England Cricket Team'. Paine bluntly replied: "Blah". Meanwhile, Marsh seemed at a loss for words and Paine helped him by mentioning: "Bazball". England's ultra-aggressive Bazball ploy in Test cricket has received mixed results and the jury is still out on whether it is a game-changer in the purest format of the game.

When asked to give their take on England Cricket Team under Stokes, Paine stepped up and said: "Attacking, aggressive! How's that? We'll be nice."

The former Australian wicketkeeper-batter had recently been quite critical of Stokes' assessment of England's performance during an Ashes 2023 documentary, where the all-rounder said that people who were witnessing his side in action will remember them forever. However, this didn't sit well with Paine, as he called them a below-average cricket team because of their recent performances.

Also Read: 'You're coming dead last in WTC, you are a below-average team' - Tim Paine slams England after Ben Stokes' Ashes 2023 remarks

England had failed to reach the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) last year and are languishing at the bottom of the points table for the 2023-2025 cycle.