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Tim Paine: You don't dump people off one bad Test
Emily Benammar • June 16th, 2025 11:57 am
Australia’s five-wicket defeat against South Africa in the World Test Championship Final has sparked debate around the batting order decisions made by selectors with Steve Smith (66) the only specialist batsman to score over 50.
Marnus Labuschagne was given the nod to open alongside Usman Khawaja for the Lord’s “grand final” with selectors favouring experience over the "risk" of putting Sam Konstas under the pressure in a one-off finale.
Despite a lengthy absence, Cam Green was brought in at No.3 ahead of Smith, but given a lack of runs from the top three, some feel the experiment has failed.
Selection and batting order will remain a point of serious debate until the first ball against England in this year’s Ashes series at Optus Stadium in November, but former Test captain Tim Paine has called for people to lay off Labuschagne and Khawaja.
Asked if he was concerned by what he saw from the top order, SEN Tassie Breakfast host Paine said: “I’m not.
“They’re good players, they’re world class.
“Steve Smith’s (finger) injury means he won’t play in the Windies first Test so Konstas comes in and Marnus drops back.
“We have heard them say when they have the spin pitches Travis Head would slide up and Marnus down.
“I see them going to the Windies and playing well and getting ready for a huge Ashes series.
Usman and Marnus will play really, really important roles in the Ashes.
Usman and Marnus will play really, really important roles in the Ashes.
“We’re very quick in this country to move on players, we always want to see if the grass is greener.
"If we have learnt nothing in the last 18 months, players of that quality are extremely hard to replace.
“Look at Dave Warner - one of our best cricketers - six months before he retired people said he’s got to go (and now) two years down the track we still haven’t replaced him.
“You don’t just have a bad Test in England and dump people like Uz and Marnus. They are a huge part of the team for the next year at least.
“With England coming out here, these high quality players don’t grow on trees. Great players are hard to replace.”
Whatever the selectors decide, Smith will be sidelined for at least the first Test in the Windies after suffering a compound dislocation to his right pinkie.
It was originally feared the vice-captain would require surgery, but the last reports from the camp are that while the skin was pierced, it was not by bone.
“It wasn’t the bone through the skin, it was a cut,” Paine said of Smith’s injury.
“The ball split the skin and he dislocated his finger. The issue is now it’s back in place, he is waiting for the cut to heal.
“It looked at one stage really bad but now if it can heal well he will be right to go for the second Test.”
SENQ Breakfast co-host and former Australian Test player Ian Healy was not as complimentary about Australia’s most experienced players and their performances in London.
“If you limp to the end of your career and the last one you’re hanging out for it's going to be a nightmare,” he said of those players that might be playing their swan-song against England this summer.
“England are coming and they’re coming for us big time.
“They’re picking the right style of bowler, they are looking at batsmen who can prosper in Australian conditions. They are going no specific that they are going to be all over us.
“If you’re not all over your energy levels and your techniques which we’re not, we’re going to get hurt and you get hurt in your last series.”
