Tim Paine left the captaincy of the Australian Test team, was accused of sending obscene messages
Ahead of the Ashes series, the Australian cricket team has suffered a major setback. Test team captain Tim Paine has resigned from his post. Vice-captain Pat Cummins is now expected to play the captaincy role in the Ashes.
Sunil Shukla 
Ahead of the Ashes series, the Australian cricket team has suffered a major setback. Test team captain Tim Paine has resigned from his post.
Australia's Test captain Tim Paine on Friday stepped down from the captaincy amid an investigation by Cricket Australia into a case of sending obscene pictures and lewd messages to a female colleague. Vice-captain Pat Cummins is now expected to play the captaincy role in the Ashes.
This case is from 2017, only a few months after which Penn got a chance to return to the Test team after seven years. At that time, Paine got a clean chit in the investigation of Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania. Australia has to play the Ashes series against arch-rivals England a few days later. The first Test will be played in Brisbane from December 8. Penn will continue to be a part of the
Australian team. The board has accepted his resignation and the search for the next Test captain is on.
Tim Paine said in the press conference, 'We thought that this matter is now over and I can keep full focus on the team. But I recently came to know that private messages have become public. My actions in 2017 are not in line with the criteria required to continue as an Australian cricket captain.
He said, 'I apologize for causing pain to my wife, family, and other parties. I also apologize for hurting the reputation of the game by this.
Paine said, 'It is only right for me to resign from the captaincy with immediate effect. I don't want any kind of disturbance in the preparation before the Ashes series. I will continue to be a dedicated member of the Australian cricket team.
The reason behind the 36-year-old Tim Paine quitting the captaincy is the alleged sex scandal. According to media reports, Tim Paine sent his obscene photo to an employee of Cricket Tasmania in the year 2017. Along with this, he also sent objectionable messages. Now after this matter came to light, Tim Paine had to leave the captaincy before the Ashes series.
According to the report, a female employee of Cricket Tasmania has claimed that Pen sent her obscene messages with pictures of her genitals. That woman had left the job in 2017 itself.
Cricket Australia statement
Cricket Australia chief Richard Friedenstein said it was Penn's own decision. He said, 'Tim felt that this was right for his family and for Australian cricket.' Cricket Australia said in a statement, 'The Board believes that Penn has been given a clean chit in this matter a few years ago, but we respect his decision. Such language or behavior is not acceptable. Despite this mistake, Paine has been an excellent captain and we thank him for his services.
Tim Paine became a captain in 2018
Tim Paine was made the captain of the Australian Test team in 2018 after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. He was appointed as the 46th Australian Test captain, replacing Steve Smith. He captained the team during the 2019 Ashes series, where Australia retained the coveted trophy on overseas soil for the first time in 18 years. The men's Ashes is set to begin next month when Australia hosts England in Brisbane on 8 December.
Tim Paine captained the Australian team in 23 Test matches. During this, the Kangaroo team had to win 11 matches and face defeat in eight. At the same time, the result of four matches did not come out. Under the captaincy of Penn, the Australian team's win percentage was 47.82.
