'You haven't aged one bit' - David Warner extends birthday wishes to Tim Paine in a cheeky way

David Warner emerged as the talisman for Australia in their recently-concluded Test series against Pakistan. The left-hander grabbed the headlines after scoring a triple-century in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval as the hosts swept Pakistan in the two-match series. Warner’s triple hundred was actually the first from an Australian since former captain Michael Clarke hit 329* vs India in January 2012.

He was joined by Marnus Labuschagne, who also showcased his class in the series. After retaining the urn in England after 18 years, Tim Paine and his troops carried on their winning momentum against the visitors. A formidable bowling trio comprising Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, and individual performances from Warner and Labuschagne were enough for the hosts to dominate a relatively weaker Pakistan side.

Meanwhile, the star-performer of the Test series, David Warner has extended birthday wishes to skipper Tim Paine in a cheeky way. While wishing Paine on Instagram, Warner highlighted that the wicket-keeper batsman who turned 35, has not aged a bit since making his debut. Paine was named captain after former skipper Steve Smith was handed a one-year ban in March 2018 for ball-tampering.

Tim Paine turns 35

Paine, who celebrates his birthday on December 8, had recently hinted the upcoming Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand may be the last time he captains the side at home as he enters the twilight of his career. Paine had stated that the upcoming summer might prove to be his last. However, his prime objective is to continue playing the game till he is able to amass runs for his side. He had also mentioned that Australia’s top priority right now is to return to the top of the test rankings and win the World Test Championship (WTC).

After breaking into the Australian ODI side in 2009, Paine has gathered 890 runs in 35 matches at an average of 27.81. His journey in the longer format has been decent too. In 28 Tests, the Tasmanian has scored 1177 runs at an average of 30.97.

Australia’s batting line-up will be tested as Tim Paine and Co lock horns with New Zealand in a three-match Test series starting from December 12. New Zealand, who have a formidable bowling force comprising Neil Wagner, who impressed everyone with performance against England.

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