Tim Paine hails Smith's consistency
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|| Desk Report ||
Australian Test skipper Tim Paine hailed former captain Steve Smith for his consistency he showed once he returned to the fold.
Smith averages over 60 in Test and Paine believes one cant average more than 60 runs if he doesn't have something to prove in the field.
"You don't become one of the best players in the world and average 60 in Test cricket if you don't have some sort of a mission," Paine was quoted in cricket.com.au
Smith is practicing really hard and he is ready to prove himself once again against England in Ashes. He is working so hard that Paine jokingly said, coaches hand might fall off.
"The boys have been having a bit of a laugh the last couple of days because nothing's changed - he's hit a million balls and our coach's arm is falling off already on day two of the trip," Paine added.
Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft have made a comeback to the team after facing a one year ban for their involvement in the ball-tampering incident in 2018 against South Africa. Smith and Warner played for Australia in the World Cup and did really well.
Paine welcomed these three players and said they perfectly fit with the team and their effort is second to none.
"It's great to see that him, and David (Warner) and Cameron Bancroft have come back in and fitted perfectly in our group," Paine said.
"They are guys who have always trained at exceptionally high standards and set the standard for others. The three of them have been outstanding since they've been back and involved," he added.
