Cricket: Australia captain Tim Paine expects ‘really strong’ England side for Ashes

Australia Test captain Tim Paine said on Friday he expects a “really strong” England side to commit to the Ashes, revealing he had been in touch with Prime Minister Scott Morrison about the series.

Paine ruffled feathers in England a week ago when he insisted all five Tests would go ahead with or without opposite number Joe Root, who has yet to commit over concerns around coronavirus quarantine rules.

The England Cricket Board was due to meet this week, and Paine said the feedback he had received was positive and he expected most players to tour, including Root.

“Positive news is that I’m hearing a lot of their players will commit,” he said on SEN sports radio, where he has a regular weekly segment.

“There might be one or two that don’t, but I think we will see a really strong England side come out here as we would want as players and as Australian fans.”

Asked if he had ever been worried that the Ashes might not go ahead, Paine said he had “had confidence”.

“My understanding, as I said, behind the scenes was that both boards were working really hard together to make sure it would go ahead, so I was pretty comfortable with it. My belief still is that…

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