Before the ECB announced the Ashes visit, former England wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior slammed Australian Test captain Tim Paine for his comments. Matt Prior has joined the chorus of cricketers who have condemned Tim Paine’s antics.
Tim Paine stunned the cricketing world by declaring that the Ashes will be played regardless of the presence of visiting captain Joe Root. England’s protests about quarantine protocols did not impress the veteran, who encouraged them to simply follow them.
Matt Prior expressed surprise at Paine’s remarks, claiming that he is normally a “lovely man.” As a result, Prior believes the Tasmanian has placed a target on his back, citing the Barmy Army’s tweet comparing Paine and Root’s runs.
“I’ve played against him a few times and he’s a nice guy, so it’s quite surprising to see what he’s been saying because it goes against him as a character. He’s got a target on his back now. The Barmy Army have already pointed out that Joe Root has almost scored more runs this year than Tim has in his entire career, and those are the things that nobody would have even looked at if Tim Paine doesn’t say the things that he does,” Prior told bettingexpert.com. he said
Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain had already chastised Paine for his contentious views. The keeper-batsman, according to Vaughan, lacked empathy.
Hussain, on the other hand, believes Australia has no right to lecture other teams about obeying isolation regulations because they haven’t played any overseas Tests in a long time.