Australian captain Tim Paine resigns from leadership role post sexting scandal

Cricket Australia has been dealt a major blow ahead of their important Ashes series against England.

Their captain Tim Paine has announced that he will step down from the captaincy role following discussions with Cricket Australia.

Tim Paine was involved in a sexting scandal with a co-worker back in 2017.

His case was assessed by the CA Integrity Unit and Paine was duly ‘exonerated’.

However, upon learning that his texts would be made public soon, Paine decided to step down from the captaincy role.

He felt it would not be in the best interest for him or his family to be going into the Ashes as the captain of the Australian team.

Paine expressed regret at the incident and added that the actions did not meet the standards of an Australian captain.

Vice-captain Pat Cummins is expected to take over the reins while Steve Smith has also thrown his hat in the ring for the leadership role.

Our View

Australian cricket has faced a few turbulent years in the recent past.

The sandpaper scandal involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft shook the foundations of cricket in the country.

All three players were banned from playing, and the whole team had to be rebuilt.

Tim Paine took over the reins in Test cricket and the veteran batsman was expected to usher in a new era of greatness.

He did not fare well in Tests, losing two series this year, and has now ended his tenure on a low.

Paine’s decision to step down appears to be the right choice as more controversy is the last thing Australian cricket needs at the moment.

As for the accusations against him, he was pardoned after a thorough investigation, and the player has expressed regret over the whole incident.

Until more information emerges, it would be insensitive to assume an opinion on the morality of the matter.

Read Also: BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly talks about the possibility of an Indo-Pak series.