Tim Paine’s toilet trouble towards the end of Australia’s Ashes-retaining win in the Old Trafford Test last summer might have caused mirth and disgust in equal measure, but it’s not the first time an Australian cricketer has faced a tough decision about whether a No.2 is their No.1 priority.
In the first Test of Australia’s 2016/17 tour of India at Pune, opening batsman Matt Renshaw was unbeaten on 36 from 89 balls when he felt an unquashable urge to use the bathroom, following David Warner back to the pavilion after the former’s dismissal for 38 and passing his captain, an unamused Steve Smith on the way.
The story at least had a happy ending, with Renshaw returning later in the innings to complete a half-century in his first overseas Test innings. The left-hander’s 68 was Australia’s top score in their first innings, and laid the platform for one of their most famous away Test victories, with twin hauls of 6-26 by Steve O’Keefe and a third-innings century from Smith consigning India to only their third home Test defeat of the decade.
