Australia’s Test captain, Tim Paine has decided to step down from his captaincy position after the emergence of his involvement in a ‘sexting’ scandal. As per the reports of cricket.com.au., Paine announced his resignation at a press conference in Hobart on Friday. He announced his shocking resignation after the inappropriate “private text exchange” with a then-colleague came to light.
Apologizing to his family and teh cricketing fraternity down under, Tim Paine said, “On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community. I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. 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.”
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Tim Paine also elaborated that he has always loved the role of being the Australian skipper and it has been a privilege for him to lead the Australian men’s test team. He also expressed gratefulness for the support he has received from his teammates. As per reports in the Australian media, Tim Paine had found guilty of sending inappropriate messages to a female co-worker in 2017.
Tim Kaine is expected to stay on the Australian side for the upcoming series, but with him standing down as captain, there is now a major vacancy for one of the country’s most important jobs. Here’s are some of teh possible replacements of Tim Paine:
Pat Cummins
The clear front-runner for the role, Pat Cummins, who is the deputy skipper in the team for the past two years and would be the logical replacement for Paine. The 28-year-old has also been leading the bowling attack and has become the poster boy for Australian cricket in recent years.
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The only issue that may arise is Australia’s reluctance to hand the captaincy to bowlers, especially pacers, given the responsibilities of captains while out on the field. At this stage though, Cummins seems to be the front-runner, given his role as the vice-captain in recent years and all-around good bloke status among the public and his teammates.
Steve Smith
A former captain of the side, Steve Smith is a chance of taking over the role again after being axed back in 2018 due to the ball-tampering scandal. Smith, along with David Warner, were both suspended due to the incident in South Africa, with the latter banned from ever taking a leadership role in the Australian team. But for Smith, he is able to return to a leadership role and there is no reason he can’t take over from Paine – especially given the abrupt nature of his exit from the captaincy.
Marbus Labuschagne
Possibly a left-field option, but there’s no doubt Marnus Labuschagne can be the probable character to lead the Australian team. In the last couple of years, he is adored by Aussie fans but is probably unlikely to get the job. Former all-rounder and fan-favorite Andrew Symonds believes Labuschagne needs to work on his maturity if he wants to be captain.
