Twitterati hail Tim Paine's selflessness for declaring the innings while batting on 45
It could've been only his sixth Test half-century had Paine not declared the innings.
Australia have more or less sealed the fate of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka in Canberra. They posted a mammoth total of 534 runs for the loss of five wickets in the first innings with the likes of Joe Burns, Travis Head and Kurtis Patterson scoring centuries. During the second session on the second day, the skipper Tim Paine felt that they have enough runs on the board and decided to declare the innings.
When the wicketkeeper batsman decided to have a go at the opposition, Patterson was batting at 114 and Paine himself was approaching a half-century unbeaten on 45. It could’ve been the sixth half-century of his 21-Test career. But he set an example by putting the team needs in front of his personal milestones. Nobody would’ve really questioned Paine had he taken a couple more overs to complete his fifty and then declare.
Possibility of rain around
But Tim Paine didn’t think about it at all and felt he needs enough time to bowl Sri Lanka out twice on what is looking like an extremely flat pitch. The selfless act also might have come due to the possibility of rain over the next few days in Canberra but the Aussie skipper has impressed many with his move. It also helped the bowlers get as many as 43 overs to bowl at the opposition and they also picked three wickets by the end of the day.
Australia have not endured the best of summers this year but Tim Paine has impressed many with the way he has led the team in the troubled times. He was delighted when Australia defeated India in Perth and is also looks a happy captain when the hosts are dominated Sri Lanka and is likely to lead his country in the Ashes later this year as well.
Meanwhile, Twitterati was all praise for Paine as he sacrificed his half-century putting the team win ahead. It has certainly given them a little more time to claim a 2-0 series victory even if the rain intervenes now.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
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