'Nothing in it': Paine plays down on-field chat

Tim Paine's spirited rebuttal of questions about his team's on-field verbal conduct has been backed-up by England batter Joe Denly, who labelled Saturday's exchanges at The Oval "friendly banter".

Paine took exception to claims at the close of the fifth Ashes Test's third day that some Australia fielders, notably his Tasmania teammate Matthew Wade, had overstepped the mark with their constant chirping as England took control of the game.

The Australia skipper was quizzed on his view of exchanges early in the day when England skipper Joe Root arrived at the crease, and appeared to become immediately involved in animated chat with Wade.

At one stage, when Root was at the non-striker's end and Wade was fielding at extra cover as Denly took strike, umpire Kumar Dharmasena several times walked towards Wade, seemingly instructing him to pipe down.

Dharmasena also then spoke with Root, and at the drinks break that followed soon after the two officiating umpires (the other being South Africa's Marais Erasmus) called Paine and Wade in for a school-masterly chat.

It ended with Paine patting Erasmus on the shoulder as he and his fellow Tasmanian walked off to join their team's huddle.

Further chat ensued after Root was dismissed by Nathan Lyon for 21 shortly before the lunch break, and was replaced in the centre by Ben Stokes who was also seen to exchange words with the Australia close catchers at session's end.

However, no action beyond a stern word or two was forthcoming from the match officials and neither of the parties in the heat of the contest made claims that anything untoward had been said or done.

Which left Paine bemused, and then bordering on umbrage when he was questioned several times about the conversations at his end-of-day media conference.

Asked if he had been summoned to speak with the umpires because of the level or content of his team's on-field chat, Paine said: “Not about that."

"The incident - Joe Root and Matthew Wade were talking to each other - there was nothing in it at all."

Pressed further about the discussions on the field, as England eventually stretched their lead to an imposing 382 with two second innings wickets in hand and a couple of days to play, Paine struggled to hide his irritation.

"You tell me," he responded, when quizzed on whether he felt his team had honoured their post-Cape Town pledge to compete with humility and a smile.

"I think we’ve been fantastic, I think both sides have played this series in good spirit.

"It’s competitive Test cricket and people are going to talk to each other.

"I don’t know why it’s such an issue - it's fine.

"They are grown men having a conversation, no-one is swearing, no-one is abusing anyone.

"It’s Test match cricket, and I don’t understand why so much is made of something so little, particularly given the standard of cricket being played.

"I think there’s so much more to talk about."

Paine's view of the day's events was echoed by Denly, who spent almost five hours in the middle and came within six runs of his maiden Test century only to be the fourth England wicket to fall.

Denly, whose wife Stacy gave birth to the couple's second child on Thursday evening which meant the England opener spent that night at a London hospital, dismissed suggestions he had been subjected to any incendiary remarks.

"Just asking me if I'd had any sleep, and pretty friendly banter," Denly said of the 'chat' he was subjected to during his 206-ball innings.

He was also asked specifically if he heard Australia's fielders direct remarks at Stokes that referenced the incident at Bristol that cost the England allrounder the Test vice-captaincy (to which he has since been reinstated) and a place in England's 2017-18 Ashes touring party to Australia.

Stokes was found not guilty of affray in August last year, having been charged over an incident outside a nightclub in Bristol the previous September.

"No, I didn’t hear anything about Bristol," said Denly, who batted with Stokes throughout the mercurial allrounder's 149-minute innings on Saturday in which the pair compiled a 127-run third-wicket partnership.

"Of course, when Ben Stokes comes to the crease, being the kind of player he is they're going to try and unsettle him.

"Stokesy deals with that pretty well, I think he's shown that throughout the series."

Denly, who has played all five Tests of this Ashes series having initially batted at No.4 before being elevated to opener in the fourth match at Old Trafford, was also asked for his views on the level of 'chat' engaged in by the Australia fielders.

In particular, he was invited to venture his opinion on the combative Wade.

"It's two very competitive teams playing in a pretty big series, and I think Matthew Wade is a very competitive player just trying to do his best for Australia," Denly said.

"Of course there's always going to be a bit of niggle out there, but nothing too over the line or anything like that.

"Just a bit of friendly banter."

2019 Qantas Ashes Tour of England

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

England squad: Joe Root (c), Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes (vc), Chris Woakes.

First Test: Australia won by 251 runs at Edgbaston

Second Test: Match drawn at Lord's

Third Test: England won by one wicket at Headingley

Fourth Test: Australia won by 185 runs at Old Trafford

Fifth Test: September 12-16, The Oval