Australia needed 174 runs to win on the last day of the Edgbaston Test with seven wickets and 90 overs in hand. However, overs were lost owing to rain, before the start of play, and Australia only had 67 overs to chase the target. Australia lost wickets at regular intervals as no batter except Usman Khawaja could reach the half-century mark. Skipper Pat Cummins stepped out in the middle at the fall of Khawaja's wicket with his team still being 72 runs adrift. Soon, Alex Carey was dismissed as Australia needed 54 runs.
Former Australian captain Tim Paine said that he thought about going to sleep at this point, as he didn't want to watch England win the match. However, Cummins (44*) and Nathan Lyon (16*) stitched a crucial 55-run partnership to take the World Test Champions home. Paine revealed that he spoke to Cummins after the win and told him that they had avenged the heartbreaking one-wicket loss that they suffered at Headingly, four years ago.
"I certainly did. I actually spoke to Pat Cummins on text yesterday and actually said we have got one back for us - it was nice. Sitting on my couch at 4 AM in the morning, I must admit when Alex Carey got out and Nathan Lyon strolled to the crease, I contemplated going to bed because I didn't want to have to watch an English win," Paine said during an interaction on the SEN podcast 'Whateley'.
"What a partnership it was, two experienced hardened cricketers, two absolute winners. It was an amazing partnership and a great Test match to watch, made even better by the fact that we were on the right side of it for once," he added.
I think Australia, as the series goes on, will get better and better: Tim Paine
The former wicketkeeper-batter said that Ben Stokes was spot on in his assessment of what went wrong for England, in the press conference. Stokes dropping the tough catch of Lyon, and Cummins' two brilliant sixes in the 83rd over off Joe Root, were some of the crucial moments in the closing stages of Day 5.
"I think Ben Stokes sort of nailed it in his press conference. It's like these small margins but a game that goes for five days, it's often looked at in just that last hour from people outside and the media," Paine said about the fine margins in the game."
The 38-year-old also mentioned how he feels that Pat Cummins and Co. will only get better as the series progresses.
"As he touched on, there were moments on the first morning that could have affected the outcome of this match and that's why Test matches are so hard to win, particularly when you have two teams that are pretty evenly matched like these ones I think are, although I think Australia, as the series goes on, will get better and better."
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