Former Australian skipper Tim Paine believes that present Australian cricketers should be considered as one the greats from the country following their sixth ODI World Cup title. Pat Cummins-led side outplayed the home-favourites India by six wickets to complete their remarkable ODI World Cup title on the away soil.
Australia is one of the most successful teams in the 50-over World Cup winning six championship titles including the 2015 championship on their home soil. The Australian team is on a roll in recent ICC trophies winning the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai and defeating mighty India in the World Test Championship final in Kennington, Oval.
Speaking on SEN’s Gerard Whateley, Tim Paine believes that the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Glenn Maxwell should be considered among the all-time greats, given their recent victories in the ICC tournaments for Australia and believes that a lot of players will be remembered by the people for a long time for their exceptional performance.
“I think last night actually gives this generation of Australian cricketers the credit they deserve. Some of the guys we’ve seen in that team last night have won two World Cups, they’ve won a T20 World Cup, they’ve won the World Test Championship,” Tim Paine said.
“This cements five or six of the players in that team last night as some of the absolute all-time greats of Australian cricket. I think over the last two or three years, they haven’t got that credit. Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell among others.
“There’s a list of those guys that will be remembered now. You’ve got to win big tournaments and World Cups to cement that,” Tim Paine added.
Australia was clearly the underdog against the dominant Indian team that had won ten straight games to get to the final in the largest cricket arena in the world. As if their style of brave cricket wasn’t terrifying enough, Australia defeated the formidable Indian squad by maintaining their composure and filling the packed Narendra Modi stadium with silence to win their sixth ODI World Cup title.
Pat Cummins’s led side won the 2021–23 World Test Championship (WTC) earlier this year, defeating India in the championship match held at the Kennington Oval. The team came back stronger in the marquee event after losing their first two games against India and South Africa to win all their games on the road to victory.
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood, Steve Smith, And David Warner have now won two ODI World Cups, a T20 World Cup, a World Test Championship, retained the Ashes, and have performed exceedingly well in the bilateral series.