England cricket team captain Joe Root and coach Trevor Bayliss are frustrated with the proposed ceremonial handshake by Australian team captain Tim Paine. It will take place before the Ashes Test start. They told ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle that they were not formally notified about the new handshake tradition.
The handshake was dismissed as a PR move after the Australian team’s image was tarnished by a ball-tampering scandal in South Africa last year.
“Root, while not looking to stoke up ill-feeling between the teams, is said to be less than convinced of the necessity for what is essentially a PR move, not least since it does not take place before any other Test series,” a report read.
It is not clear whether Root will comply and the ceremonial handshake gesture will happen before the Test. Eoin Morgan didn’t complain when Paine also suggested the idea of having a handshake ceremony during the 2018 one-day series.
Tim Paine became the captain of the Australian national team after the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal in 2018 that involved Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. They were banned from playing international cricket from 6-12 months. The trio is included in the team’s Ashes squad and will be present at the first Test at Edgbaston.
Joe Root commented that he is not bothered about the Australian team’s behaviour in the upcoming series. “We’ll see how that unfolds in the course of the series. To be honest, their behaviour doesn’t really concern me. The thing that concerns me is that we go about things in our own way. It’s really important we look after that and don’t get too wrapped up in how they play their cricket,” Root stated.
The two teams faced their first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on August 1st. Australia is the current holder of the Ashes urn after defeating England in their home country. Since 2001, the Aussies hasn’t won an Ashes in the English soil.
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