Australia captain gives touching tribute to Black Caps in speech

He might give the Black Caps a bit of stick from behind the stumps when wicketkeeping, but Australian captain Tim Paine has given some heartwarming praise to the New Zealand team on the eve of the third test in Sydney.

During a speech at a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Kirribilli House, Paine paid tribute to what the Black Caps had accomplished in 2019.

"To Kane [Williamson], Gary [Stead] and the New Zealand squad – thank you for the tremendous spirit in which you've played this series, your team has been admired the world over for the way you play your cricket.

"The excitement that you build among your own fans is truly special – as the Australian team witnessed first-hand at the MCG, with a huge amount of Kiwi supporters packed into the MCG for the Boxing Day test.

"It was brilliant to see so many Kiwi shirts in the crowd, although they gave us a bit of stick. But it was part of a record-setting Boxing Day test crowd, and I'm sure the atmosphere will be as electric in Sydney as it was in Melbourne.

"We look forward to our friendly rivalry growing over the next few years."

While the Black Caps haven't been at their best against Australia, with two heavy defeats in the first two tests, Paine still rated his trans-Tasman rivals highly, given what they had accomplished before this series.

"I'd also like to applaud New Zealand on the year they've had. Going the distance in the Cricket World Cup final against England at Lord's, and pushing India all the way to the World No 1 test ranking, winning over millions of fans around the world in the process.

"There's been a lot of public discussion lately about whether this is the best New Zealand team the country has ever produced, and given the year you guys have had, it's easy to see why."

Black Caps batsman Tom Latham - filling in for the ill Williamson in speaking at the event - echoed Paine's comments about the support the team had received during the test in Melbourne.

"The support we've had over here has been very humbling. We haven't had support like that for a long time, and to see the 20,000 Kiwis that had travelled over and live here in Australia was very humbling, and fingers crossed we can get that sort of support back home, and that they come out in Sydney as well."

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission