Tim Paine urged his Australia players to move on from the crushing nature of their defeat in the third Test.
Having been flayed to all parts of Headingley by Ben Stokes amid one of the most astonishing 10th-wicket partnerships in Test history, Paine cut a remarkably level-headed figure in the aftermath as he looked to convey a message of calm.
The Australia captain, whose side missed a chance to retain the Ashes with two Tests to play, insisted: “We don’t talk about emotion. You have got to stick to the facts and the facts are – like I said to the boys – we have been in a position to win every Test. So we are clearly doing something right.”
Paine had to haul Nathan Lyon off the ground at the end of the nerve-shredding match, the off-spinner having moments earlier fumbled the ball when, with England needing only two runs to win, he could have run out the No 11 Jack Leach.
“He’s a really important player in our side and I said to him that if our younger players see him dealing with it really quickly and moving on, they are going to do the same thing,” Paine explained.
Paine also refused to criticise the umpire Joel Wilson for turning down an lbw shout against Stokes the following delivery, despite Hawk-Eye showing it was out.
Having wasted his side’s last review the previous over when Pat Cummins wrongly persuaded him that an lbw shout against Leach had pitched in line, he simply had to accept it.
Paine said: “I saw it live. I thought it was out. I don’t need to see it again. I have no issue with it, I don’t think I’ve got a referral correct the whole series so I can’t sit here and bag the umpires.
“To sit down and single out an umpire is unnecessary, he is no different to everyone else, he is allowed to make mistakes.”
Such a magnanimous response is in keeping with Paine’s captaincy overall and it extended to Stokes also. He added: “I thought it was an amazing game of cricket, Ben Stokes was unbelievably good and it was one of the great Test innings.
“We finished up on the wrong side of it but in terms of an advertisement for Test cricket, I think that was bloody exciting. It was great to be involved in so I can only imagine what it was like to watch.”
Australia play a three-day tour game against Derbyshire from Thursday. As they lick their wounds, the good news is that Steve Smith will be back after a week-long concussion lay-off.