“Need to get their head around that”: Paine's brutal response to Stokes' viral dressing room comments

Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine has responded to Ben Stokes’ comments that England’s Test line-up will live ‘forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play’.

Stokes’ comments were revealed in a new ECB documentary on the 2023 Ashes series where he addressed his side in the rooms during the washed-out Old Trafford Test, which gave Australia a 2-1 lead heading into the final Test at the Oval – where England had no hope of retaining the Ashes.

As England were on top in Manchester before the rain came down, Stokes was disappointed that England couldn’t produce a result and told his team that their work wasn’t for nothing despite not being able to win the urn back.

"Everything we've done up until now isn't going to stop because we haven't managed to win the urn back," said Stokes.

"The reward for our work isn't what we get, but what we become.

"And what we have managed to do is, we've managed to become a sports team that will live forever in the memory of people who were lucky enough to witness us play cricket."

With the series eventually tied 2-2 in London and Australia retaining the urn, Paine was surprised to learn that Stokes felt his team would go down in history despite not winning on home soil.

However, he felt those comments were in line with the overly positive talk coming from inside the England camp since Brendon McCullum’s takeover and the introduction of ‘BazBall’.

With England sitting dead last in the World Test Championship currently with a percentage of just 17.5, Paine described Stokes’ team as below average and that no one will remember them unless they start turning their confidence and talk into winning Test matches.

“Oh, mate, I don't know, I think it was taken slightly out of context because he was talking in a changing room and it was a bigger speech, so I will say that,” Paine told SEN Tassie Breakfast.

“However, it's just this continued belief that they're completely changing the game and they're doing this amazing stuff and everyone's going to remember it … they're not.

“You're coming dead last in the World Test Championship. You're not going to be a team that everyone remembers watching and you're not doing anything outrageously good that we haven't seen before.

“You're an average cricket team. (Actually) you're at the moment, a below-average cricket team and I think they need to get their head around that a little bit.”

Stokes’ comments from the documentary went viral, causing Fox Cricket to post a graphic of his quote on X, to which he responded: “Said this to the team who had watched it rain for 2 days when we had our foot on your throats, just tried to cheer up the disappointment tbh, but anyways rent free and all that.”

Paine found Stokes’ retort to Fox Cricket as bizarre as he was responding to a TV broadcaster, not the Australian cricket team.

He thinks that the English are living in a “weird, strange world” where they’re beginning to believe their own hype despite the results not backing them up.

“Then secondly, when he replies back on X, I'm not sure who he thinks he's actually talking to,” Paine said.

“It says, ‘We had our foot on your throats for two days, rent-free and all that’. You’re talking to Fox Cricket production. That's not the Australian cricket team that you're talking to.

“You didn't have your foot on the throats of the Fox Cricket production … I don't think you're living rent-free in any of the Australian cricketers’ minds.

“You're talking to a TV production. I found it quite strange that he went back at them because it would be like me going back at Sky Sports.

“It's just strange. They're living in a bit of a weird, strange world over there at the moment.

“Anyway, each to their own as they say.”

Listen to Paine's response below.