'It just blew up' - Hampshire man goes VIRAL as cricket fans mistake him for Australia captain

A man from Hampshire has received thousands of abusive comments online, after a bizarre case of mistaken identity.

Indian cricket supporters have been venting their fury at Tim Payne in recent days, falsely believing they were messaging his namesake - the Australia cricket captain.

Down Under, Tim Paine was caught in a 'sledging' row with opponent Ravichandran Ashwin during the Test Series between Australia and India earlier this month.

On Day Five of the Third Test in Sydney, the Australia skipper called Ashwin a "****head" and "goose".

"I can't wait to get you to The Gabba, Ash," he added.

Paine was referring to the following match at The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as The Gabba, where the home side have a notoriously strong record.

However, India emerged victorious in Brisbane following a dramatic finale, clinching the series 2-1.

Paine had already apologised for his behaviour, saying it “fell short of my expectations and team standards”.

Attempting to celebrate and aim backlash at the Baggy Green captain after the Brisbane Test, India fans mistakenly messaged Payne in East Hampshire:

Old photos of the 24-year-old on holiday also copped a staggering amount of reaction from supporters.

This post from August 2020 has now received more than 10,000 comments:

Fortunately, some of those criticising the Video Editor soon realised the error of their ways:

'This is comedy gold'

Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Hampshire's Payne insisted that he found the situation funny: "I was just in hysterics, to be honest.

"I have a lot of people going: 'Are you OK, are you taking this all well?'

"I was like: 'This is brightening up my lockdown'.

"It's actually hilarious to see that people are getting really into it. (They said) 'How dare you, you disrespected your whole country'.

"(I thought) this is brilliant, this is comedy gold ... it just blew up".

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