Australia’s Test Captain Tim Paine Resigns Over “Text-Message”

Web Desk — Distraught and in tears, Tim Paine stepped down from his position as Australia’s test cricket captain on Friday after it was revealed he had been investigated and cleared over sexually explicit text messages sent to a former female colleague four years ago.

As a result, Australia’s preparations for the Ashes have been thrown into disarray three weeks before the first test in Brisbane starts on Dec. 8.

In Hobart, Paine broke down in tears as he read a statement explaining that an Integrity Unit investigation cleared him but that his actions did not meet the standards of an Australian cricket captain or the wider community.

“I deeply apologize to my wife, my family, and the other party for the hurt and pain I have caused,” said Paine, who has been married to his wife Bonnie since 2016 and has children with her.

“I’m sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport and I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately.

“I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes series,” Paine added.

According to the Herald Sun, Paine sent an explicit photo and lewd message to his colleague four months before he was named test captain following the 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal.

The report stated that the victim was a former Cricket Tasmania employee who resigned in 2017 and later filed grievances with Cricket Australia (CA).

In a statement, Cricket Tasmania Chairman Andrew Gaggin said that the investigation had determined Paine’s interaction with the woman was “consensual, private, took place on only one occasion, was between mature adults, and was not repeated.”

Wicketkeeper-batsman Paine, 36, is the second Australian captain in succession to lose his job amid scandal, following Steve Smith’s resignation following a ball-tampering scandal during the Test series in South Africa.

The captain resigns after 23 tests, with 11 wins, eight losses, and four draws.

Cummins is expected to succeed Paine as captain during the five-test Ashes series.