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'Stokes put funky fields and suddenly, he's a genius': Paine's explosive jibe at England captain after 1st Ashes Test

Australia registered a solid victory in the first Ashes Test, beating England by two wickets at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Chasing a 281-run target on the final day, Australia captain Pat Cummins bailed the side out of a tricky spot, forging an unbeaten 55-run stand alongside no.10 Nathan Lyon to steer the visitors home to a memorable win. Despite the win, however, there were debates over the approach from both the sides; while England were aggressive right from the start, many fans and former cricketers believed that Cummins was a little defensive – particularly with his captaincy decisions.

However, former Australia captain Tim Paine – who has led Cummins in the past – brushed off such opinions, stating that both teams played according to their strengths. He also claimed that there were certain double-standards in narratives over both teams.

“I thought it was pretty much as I expected to be honest. I think Australia were always going to set slightly what you can call defensive fields if you like. I think they were no different really to Ben Stokes,” Paine said on SEN podcast ‘Whateley’.

“Ben Stokes and England make some funky fields and all of a sudden it's genius. Australia put a couple of people on the fence and all of a sudden it's defensive. I think there were some clear strategies from both sides, whether it was attack or defense,” he further said.

Earlier, Stokes said after the match he did not regret declaring England's first innings on 393-8 on the first day and McCullum backed the skipper's desire to take the game to the opposition.

"We always want to try and take the game forward," he said. "We want to try and seize opportunities where we think we can put opposition teams under pressure.

“We firmly believe, the skipper and I, that this gives us our greatest chance. I would be very surprised if there was too many people who disagree with how we go about playing, because everyone was left entertained.”