VIDEO | Tim Paine recreates 'Rishabh Pant' moment ; mocks Ben Stokes' Kiwi heritage

08/05/2019

Expectations were aplenty ahead of the Ashes, with people expecting both teams to up their chatter game behind the stumps. To everyone's disappointment, the first four days of the match went quiet, but on Day 5, Tim Paine made sure everyone was entertained, as he mocked Ben Stokes' Kiwi heritage.

Australia have never been a team that has been short of words behind the stumps, but one can argue that they have been on the quieter side of the spectrum ever since the Newlands ball-tampering saga. However, slowly but steadily, they've been upping their banter game behind the stumps, and skipper Tim Paine stole the show in the home series against India by asking Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant to "babysit" his kids.

The comment was taken light-heartedly by Pant, who in fact then even went to take a picture with Paine's kids, approving his banter skills. Ahead of the Edgbaston match, there was plenty of curiosity and expectation surrounding the on-field chatter, with people expecting both teams to compete toe-to-toe in that department. But surprisingly, there was negligible on-field talk in the first four days of the match, with both teams more than happy to just concentrate on their performances on the field.

But then again, the Aussies can only be kept quiet for so long, and skipper Paine proved exactly that on Monday. With Nathan Lyon proving to be more than handful on a deteriorating Day 5 pitch, English all-rounder Ben Stokes had his work cut-out, walking in to bat at 85-4, desperately trying to save the match for his team.

Sensing the pressure Stokes was under, the Aussies decided to seize the day. After the former carefully defended the first three deliveries of Lyon, skipper Paine, behind the stumps, decided to take a dig at the all-rounder's Kiwi heritage. In a hilarious moment, the Aussie skipper was heard saying "Sir Ben Stokes. Sir Richard Hadlee" on the stump mic, referring to Stokes' New Zealand heritage, which saw him recently get nominated for the "New Zealander of the year" award. The comment was also a reference to reports which suggested that Stokes was going to be knighted, thereby making him "Sir Ben Stokes".

We had to wait a very long time to get our first glimpse of Paine's brilliance behind the stumps, but the Tasmanian made sure that it was worth the wait.