Reacting strongly to Michael Clarke’s criticism of Australia’s change of tactics of doing away with aggression to generate liking among the opposition ahead of the four-match Test series against India, Australian captain Tim Paine said his side would continue to play hard cricket on the field but not compromise on the trust of the Australian people.
"We're still going to play hard Australian cricket, as Michael put it, that's not going to change,” Paine told ESPNCrincinfo. "No one has spoken about being liked, certainly by the opposition."
He Australian captain started a trend of handshakes before the start of every Test ever since the Cape Town sandpaper gate to spread goodwill and gain the trust of the opposition as well the Australian people.
"Clearly, Johannesburg was a really strange circumstance and a difficult game to play in for everyone because of everything that happened in Cape Town but we've spoken about wanting to get the Australian public's trust and make sure that clearly, you want the Australian public and cricket fans to like or love the Australian Test team. Certainly, there's that aspect, but from an opposition perspective we're not concerned about being liked one bit," Pain added.
Paine’s reaction comes after former captain Clarke criticised the current stand for their soft stance.
“Australian cricket, I think, needs to stop worrying about being liked and start worrying about being respected. Play tough Australian cricket. Whether we like it or not, that's in our blood,” Clarke was quoted as saying by Macquarie Sports Radio.
Clarke cited the example of suspended batsman David Warner, whose aggression brought out the best in him.
“It's his style; he's very upfront, in your face. What you see with David Warner is what you get. Your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness. To me, I always loved having him in the team I was captaining because he brought that aggression that I wanted.
Paine, however, assured that they won’t let go the Australian style of cricket but only with bat and ball. “We want to make it an uncomfortable environment for people to play against us, but we want to do it mainly by our skills.
"We’re going to be up and about and playing that tough, competitive Australian brand of cricket that Australia's always been renowned for, it's just knowing at times we might need to pull it back and make sure we're getting the most important thing right first, and that's our skill," Paine added.
Australia have not won a single Test after that ball-tampering incident which resulted in the suspension of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Head coach Darren Lehmann too stood down after the South Africa series and Justin Langer replaced him.
The new look Australia’s biggest test will be against a well-oiled Indian side in the four-match Test series starting on December 6 at Adelaide.