Tim Paine Urges Australia To Manipulate Scotland Match Result To Eliminate England Out of T20 World Cup 2024

Former Australian captain Tim Paine has stirred controversy by urging the national team to manipulate their final group stage match against Scotland in the T20 World Cup in order to eliminate arch-rivals England from the competition.

England finds themselves in a tough position after a washout and a heavy defeat to Australia. While Australia has secured its place in the Super 8s, England needs a miracle to advance. Paine suggests Australia control the margin of victory against Scotland to ensure England’s elimination based on Net Run Rate (NRR).

“Absolutely they should manipulate the result,” Paine said on Sen Radio. “I’m dead serious.” He clarified, however, that Australia shouldn’t lose the match but rather win it strategically.

Paine proposes a scenario where Scotland sets a moderate total, allowing Australia to chase it down comfortably but not in a dominant fashion. This would maintain Scotland’s healthy NRR and mathematically eliminate England, even if they win their remaining games.

Paine justifies this strategy as a “smart, calculated” move to weaken potential opponents later in the tournament. While some might find manipulating the game unethical, the ex-Australian captain argues it’s a strategic manoeuvre within the rules.

“If you could knock out one of the most highly fancied teams in the tournament and do it in a way that you’re not deliberately losing a game, I’m all for it. You’re manipulating the net run rates a little bit… you can say whatever you want to say, but to me, it is smart, calculated tournament play.

“We’re there to win a World Cup. I wouldn’t want to play England in the semifinal. They’ve got six or seven guys that could take a game away from you, much like Australia does. If you can have a side like that not go through to the next phase, it makes the World Cup easier for you to win,” he added.