Australia's Tim Paine quits Test captaincy following sexting scandal

Australian media reported that Australia's Tim Paine sent Cricket Tasmania employee inappropriate pictures and a series of lewd messages.

Australia wicketkeeper batsman Tim Paine. (Source: Twitter)

Australia's Test captain Tim Paine has resigned from captaincy just weeks ahead of Ashes 2021 series which begins down under after being embroiled in a sexting scandal. Australian media reported on Friday (November 19) that Paine sent a former Cricket Tasmania employee a “d*** pic” and a series of lewd messages on the eve of the 2017/18 Ashes series.

According to the News Corp report, the woman claimed she was offended by “Mr Paine’s sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited photograph of his genitals in addition to the graphic sexual comments”.

Paine announced his resignation from the captaincy at a press conference in Hobart on Friday (November 18) afternoon, following revelations of the ‘sexting’ incident. Vice-captain and pace bowler Pat Cummins looks set to become the first paceman to captain the Australian Test side in 65 years.

Tim Paine has announced his resignation as Australian Men's Test captain.

Read more https://t.co/BFpHQXWJav pic.twitter.com/RzySzb9nbM — ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2021

Pending approval from the Cricket Australia Board, Cummins will become the 47th player to captain Australia’s men’s Test team. Uncapped wicketkeepers Alex Carey and Josh Inglis are the frontrunners to take the gloves in the event Paine does not play at the Gabba for the first Test against England on December 8 after the pair were named in an 11-man Australia ‘A’ squad this week.

Carey, who was also picked in Australia’s postponed Test tour of South Africa earlier this year, was selected as captain of that Australia A group.

Paine married his wife Bonnie in 2016, and the couple have three children together — Milla, Charlie and Wilson. He became Australia’s 46th Test captain after the infamous ball-tampering saga in 2018, taking over from Steve Smith. The Tasmanian led Australia during the 2019 Ashes series where the Aussies retained the coveted trophy on foreign soil for the first time in 18 years.

Paine will, however, continue to be a part of the Australian team. “It’s an incredibly difficult decision but the right one for me, my family and cricket,” Paine said.

“Although exonerated I deeply regretted in incident at a time and I do so today. I spoke to my wife and family at a time and enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support,” he added.