Cricket Tasmania chairman Andrew Gaggin yesterday condemned Cricket Australia’s “appalling” treatment of Tim Paine, saying he should never have been put in a position where he felt he had to resign as Australia Test captain.
Paine stood down from the role on Friday after sexually explicit text messages he sent to a former female colleague at Cricket Tasmania in 2017 were leaked to the media.
The 36-year-old wicketkeeper, who has represented Tasmania since the 2005-2006 season, had been exonerated by a Cricket Australia integrity review into the matter soon after becoming Test skipper in 2018.
Photo: Reuters
“In conversations I have had in recent days, it is clear that the anger amongst the Tasmania cricket community and general public is palpable,” Gaggin said in a statement.
“Tim Paine has been a beacon for Australian cricket over the past four years, and instrumental in salvaging the reputation of the national team after the calamity of Cape Town,” he said. “The treatment afforded to the Australian Test captain by Cricket Australia has been appalling, and the worst since Bill Lawry over 50 years ago.”
Lawry was notoriously sacked as Australia captain and dropped from the team ahead of the final test of the 1970-1971 Ashes series, only discovering his fate when informed by reporters.
Cricket Tasmania said after Paine’s resignation that the former female employee complained to them about the messages only after she had been charged with stealing from the organization.
“At a time when [Cricket Australia] should have supported Tim, he was evidently regarded as dispensable,” Gaggin said.
Fast bowler Pat Cummins is favorite to replace Paine as Test captain ahead of the Ashes, which starts in Brisbane on Dec. 8.
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