Tim Paine's perfect response to brutal Shane Warne criticism

Tim Paine has opted to take the high road after responding to Shane Warne's savage criticism about his captaincy of the Australian Test team.

Warne made headlines this week with a withering spray for the Aussie skipper, while discussing the upcoming Ashes series starting on December 8 at the Gabba.

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Paine has been out of action since having surgery in September to fix a bulging disc in his neck, leaving him little preparation time for the Ashes opener, which gets underway in just under five weeks.

However, Warne suggested that Paine's captaincy and batting form had not been to scratch over the last couple of years, with Australia's last series culminating in a 2-1 home defeat to a second-string India side.

“Paine, he’s had a shocker the last couple of years as captain, tactically he’s been very poor, lost two series, can’t make a run,” Warne told Fox Sports.

“Our side’s not as great, this ‘almighty Australia’.”

The Spin King also said there were question marks over Australia's bowling and top order batting make-up, but Paine said he respected the Test legend's right to an opinion.

However, Paine pointed out how little Test cricket the Aussies have played over the last two years because of the global pandemic, and said Warne had never had to experience anything like it during his career.

“We’re not hiding from the fact we haven’t played our best Test cricket, especially last summer. The summer before that we won 5-0,” Paine said.

“We’ve had very, very little Test cricket. There are some guys struggling for continuity and consistency. It can be difficult, this team has had some challenges that no other Australian team has had and we are fighting out way through them.

“We’re not saying we are the greatest Australian cricket team or we are dominant … we think we have plenty of improvement left. We also think our best cricket is right up there.

“We’ve got some challenges with guys being at a T20 World Cup, then coming home and doing two weeks quarantine in a hotel room without training and then having about eight days before the first Test.

“It’s going to be a challenge.”

Tim Paine cops Shane Warne criticism on chin

The Aussie skipper refused to be drawn into a slanging match with Warne, who he conceded was a very "opinionated" commentator.

“I’ll let it go. I’ve got some things I need to concentrate on first,” he told SEN.

“Warney is very opinionated and happy to give his opinion. His job is to critique us. I’ve worked in commentary in cricket and sometimes you have to give an opinion sometimes people might not like and might not agree with.

“That’s his opinion. We’ll let him have it for now. “

Warne argued that England would be boosted by India's success here and claimed touring sides no longer feared coming to Australia for Test series.

"When you think back to Australia and think back to Ashes series in Australia, England have been very, very poor for a long time when they come to Australia. But I just look at the Australian side and there's a lot of gaps," Warne said.

"Our fast bowlers, Pat Cummins looks short of a gallop and we know he's going to come good because he's world class. But Starc's nowhere, (Josh) Hazlewood's bowling well.

“Look, you’d say Australia are favourites but given their form in the last few years in Australia... we were beaten by India’s C team last year and we were really poor tactically. I think it’s going to be very, very close, I think it’s going to be a good Ashes series.”

with agencies

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