Australian captain Tim Paine deserves to be cut some slack, according to coach Justin Langer who remains wary of how quickly efforts to rebuild the team's image can be torn down.
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Paine and his side's behaviour was questioned following a dramatic final day in the drawn Sydney Test against India.
The wicketkeeper dropped three catches on day five, while he was fined 15 per cent of his match fee for dissent toward the umpire and also caught on the stump microphone mocking veteran Ravichandran Ashwin during India's incredible stonewall to secure a draw.
Thrust into the captaincy, Paine has helped turn around the Australian Test team's image after the 2018 Cape Town cheating scandal and, after a night of reflection, apologised for his conduct ahead of Friday's fourth Test at the Gabba.
That didn't stop Indian great Sunil Gavaskar, whose name adorns the trophy on the line, from declaring his lack of tactical nous meant his days as Test captain were numbered.
Langer agreed Paine hadn't met his own high standards but that his track record and Tuesday's apology spoke volumes, while he also backed him as "one of the great wicketkeepers we've ever had in Australia".
"Do I have faith in Tim Paine? You have no idea how much faith I've got in Tim Paine," Langer said.
"He didn't have his best day, no doubt about that, but after three years he has hardly put a hair out of place, he's been outstanding as the Australian captain in everything he does, and he had a frustrating day. We've got to cut him some slack surely.
"But having said that when you set a standard as high as he does and as we do, we understand we're going to get criticised when we fall below that."
Langer and Paine have been the face of Australia's repair efforts after the Cape Town Test that saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all banned for their role in the ball-tampering incident.
A popular documentary even charted their path from that point to an Ashes victory in England in 2019, Langer acknowledging though that their efforts could be undone at any moment.
"It's just a good reminder isn't it ... I remember a great mate of mine told me a few years ago if you're going to build a house or a hotel, it takes years to do it, but it takes a couple of hours to rip it all down with a bulldozer," he said.
"So we've got to be on top of our game all the time, but also our players are human.
"That's one of the challenges of leadership, that's one of the challenges of putting yourself out there and talking about culture and how important culture is.
"You can't slip, and if you do slip, you get criticised for it, and that's all OK."
Australian Associated Press
