Tim Paine captaincy decision in 2018 "clearly sent wrong message to the sport"

Australia's captain resigned from the role on Friday following revelations about a sexting scandal relating to messages sent in 2017 by Paine to a former Cricket Tasmania co-worker

Tim Paine would not have been endorsed for the Test captaincy if Cricket Australia’s current administration had been in place when the wicketkeeper took over from Steve Smith in 2018, the governing body’s chairman has said.

Paine resigned from the role on Friday following revelations about a sexting scandal relating to messages sent in 2017 by Paine to a former Cricket Tasmania co-worker.

They were the subject of a Cricket Australia investigation three and a half years ago, but Paine was cleared of breaching the CA code of conduct.

The incident’s subsequent emergence in the Australian media via a News Corp report prompted him to step down as skipper just 19 days out from the start of an Ashes series that has been overshadowed by off-field crises.

Speaking in a press conference on Saturday, Richard Freudenstein, who replaced Earl Eddings as chair, said: “I cannot speak about the original decision making in 2018. But what I can say is faced with the same circumstances and with the benefit of all the relevant information about this matter, Cricket Australia would not make the same decisions today.”

He added: “I acknowledge the decision clearly sent the wrong message to the sport, to the community and to Tim that this kind of behaviour is acceptable and without serious consequences. The role of the Australian cricket captain must be held to the highest possible standards.”

^{Pat Cummmins (right) is favourite to replace Tim Paine (left) as captain}

Freudenstein defended the fact that he had not acted until the scandal had gone public, explaining that the case had been considered to be closed when he first joined the board in 2019.

Paine’s future as a player is not thought to be under threat, with the chairman confirming that Cricket Australia are “comfortable with his availability as a player”.

“The captain of the Australian cricket team has to be held to a very high standard,” he said,” which is why I think it is absolutely appropriate that Tim has resigned the captaincy which is in the best interest of Australian cricket.”

Paine was due to return from neck surgery with a club game on Saturday in Hobart, but that fixture was washed out.

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