Sexting scandal: Cricket Tasmania come out in support of Tim Paine

Hobart: Cricket Tasmania has strongly condemned the treatment of Tim Paine by Cricket Australia (CA), by stating the treatment afforded to the Australian Test captain by CA ‘appalling’.

The statement released by Cricket Tasmania read, Cricket Tasmania will continue to support Tim on and off the field, and is very pleased to see his impressive return in the Second XI game Tasmania is currently playing against South Australia.

Cricket Tasmania Chairman Andrew Gaggin said; “"In conversations I have had in recent days it is clear that the anger amongst the Tasmanian cricket community and general public is palpable.”

“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.”

“Yet, at a time when CA should have supported Tim, he was evidently regarded as dispensable. 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 the first and only Australian captain to be sacked in the middle of a series when he was dropped by selectors during the 1970-71 Ashes.

“The Cricket Tasmania board reaffirmed its view that Paine should not have been put in a position where he felt the need to resign over an incident that was determined by an independent inquiry at the time to not be a breach of the code of conduct and was a consensual and private exchange that occurred between two mature adults and was not repeated,” Gaggin said.

Paine stepped down from the skipper role last Friday after sexually explicit text messages text-messaging exchange with a former female Cricket Tasmania employee in 2017, were leaked to the media.

The 36-year-old wicket-keeper made his return to competitive cricket on Monday, after six months on the sidelines with a neck injury and recovery from surgery.

Ahead of the Ashes series; which start from December 8 in Brisbane, pacer Pat Cummins is in the fray to replace Paine as test captain. (UNI)