New texts have revealed Tim Paine knew exactly what he was risking when sending lewd messages to a then-colleague on the morning of the first Ashes Test in 2017.
The wicketkeeper resigned in disgrace on Friday, standing down as Test captain as his sexting scandal was revealed in the media.
Paine had sent a then-Cricket Tasmania employee a “d*** pic”, among other sexually-charged messages, just hours before his first Test match in seven years.
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Further texts between Paine – who has been married since 2016 – and the woman have been revealed by The Herald Sun, and show the pair candidly talking about the consequences they faced if caught.
“We’re both f-ked if this got out,” the woman texted.
Paine reportedly responded by sending an image of his penis with a caption: “true, so f —ked”.
The woman resigned shortly after the text exchange and reported the messages to Cricket Australia in 2018, claiming she was offended by “Mr Paine’s sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited photograph of his genitals in addition to the graphic sexual comments”.
The Herald Sun reported the woman complained about sexual harassment when she was still employed by Cricket Tasmania.
Paine fronted media in Hobart on Friday afternoon, but refused to answer questions.
As it stands, he will still play for Australia when the Ashes begin in Brisbane on December 8.
Paine is the second straight Australian Test captain to stand down in disgrace, following Steve Smith’s emotional departure in the wake of Sandpapergate.
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Baby-faced Paine makes Test debut
Paine made his first-class debut against South Australia in December 2005, scoring a duck in his maiden Sheffield Shield innings.
But following a promising few years in domestic cricket, national selectors rewarded the blonde gloveman with an ODI debut against Scotland in August 2009.
After wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was withdrawn from a Test series against Pakistan in 2010, Paine was called up as his temporary replacement.
The Tasmanian made his Test debut alongside future Australian captain Steve Smith for the first match at Lord’s.
Paine claimed his maiden Test catch in the seventh over of Pakistan’s first innings, with Tasmanian teammate Ben Hilfenhaus finding the outside edge of Imran Farhat’s bat.
But he had a relatively quiet series with the bat, failing to reach fifty in four knocks against the Pakistanis.
After two more Test matches against India in October 2010 — during which he registered a career-best score of 92 in Mohali — Paine was replaced by Haddin for the 2010/11 Ashes series.
He would not get another opportunity to don the Baggy Green for seven years.
Paine’s shock Ashes return
National selectors dropped a bombshell ahead of the 20117/18 Ashes series, dropping incumbent wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and recalling Paine for the first time in over seven years.
The Tasmanian’s long-awaited return started poorly, dropping a regulation catch off Nathan Lyon’s bowling on day one of the Gabba Test.
But Paine finished the series with 26 dismissals — the fourth highest tally by a wicketkeeper in Ashes history — as Australia cruised towards a 4-0 victory over their British rivals.
He averaged 48.00 with the bat in the five-match series, scoring a half-century in the second Test at Adelaide Oval.
Infamous Cape Town saga
Australia’s tour of South Africa in March 2018 was a career-defining series for many cricketers, and Paine was no exception.
During the third Test between Australia and South African at Newlands, Australia’s Cameron Bancroft was caught rubbing sandpaper on the match ball, sparking one of the biggest sporting controversies of the century.
Captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Bancroft were all handed one-year bans, and Cricket Australia announced that Paine would become Australia’s 46th Test captain for the fourth Test at Johannesburg.
In the space of six months, Paine had gone from a second-choice state wicketkeeper to the Australian Test captain.
“I wasn’t keen on it, but I didn’t say that,” Paine told cricket.com.au of his initial reaction to the captaincy reveal.
“I just thought at the time that I had to do it.
“It was a strange circumstance to have it in, and it wasn’t really a time for celebrating.”
Langer’s elite honesty
Paine and new coach Justin Langer were framed as the figures that would lead the Australian men’s cricket team into a new area.
As Cricket Australia underwent a thorough cultural review, the team’s mentality shifted from “win at all costs” to “elite honesty”.
“We want to build a culture that makes people want to be better and produce not only better cricketers but better people,” Paine said at the time.
“We know what’s right and we know what’s wrong. We know what Australian cricket expects of us.
“And we’ll be holding each other accountable.”
In October 2018, Paine scored a patient 61 not out against Pakistan to help the Aussies secure an unlikely draw in Dubai.
But after returning Down Under that summer, Australia suffered its first Test series defeat to India on home soil under Paine’s leadership. However, the wicketkeeper was heaped with praise for his non-abusive sledging.
Six months later, Paine and his Australian teammates retained the Ashes in England for the first time in 18 years.
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