Melbourne
Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine believes Mitchell Marsh and his team should manipulate their final group game against Scotland to ensure England’s elimination from the T20 World Cup.
England, the defending champions, are in a tough spot after a washout and a heavy defeat to Australia, who have qualified for the Super Eights. Paine told Sen Radio, Absolutely they should manipulate the result. I’m not joking. I’m dead serious.
Currently, England is fourth in Group B with one point and a -1.800 net run rate. They have two matches left, but even winning both won’t allow them to overtake Scotland, who are second with five points and a +2.164 net run rate. To advance, England needs to win both games by large margins and hope Australia defeats Scotland heavily to impact Scotland’s net run rate.
Paine clarified he doesn’t want Australia to lose but to ensure the game is close enough to eliminate England. For example, if Scotland scores 140 and Australia chases it in 19.5 overs, Scotland’s net run rate wouldn’t suffer much.
Paine views this as a smart, calculated strategy. It’s not just because it’s England. Eliminating a strong team like England makes the path to the World Cup easier, he said.
Despite England’s rough start, Paine acknowledges their potential. They’re still one of the best teams in the world. If you can knock out one of the top teams without deliberately losing, I’m all for it, he concluded.
