Australia secured their first T20 world cup title in this edition of the cup; they did so by beating their arch-rivals New Zealand in the finals of the cup by 8 wickets with 7 balls to spare. Later, in December they will face England in a five-match test series; which will be held from the 8th of December and could extend until the 18th of January. After this series, they will host New Zealand in a 3 match ODI series.
Despite, the fact that the last few months have been phenomenal for Australia; some major issues have arisen. Tim Paine abruptly resigned as Australian Test cricket skipper on Friday, citing an improper “personal text interaction” with a female colleague. He tendered his stunning departure as Australian Test cricket skipper at a news conference in Hobart on Friday afternoon, two weeks before the Ashes series against arch-rival England begins. He has been the captain since the March of 2018. Who will Australia turn to be their next captain?
In the Press release, he passed the following statements!
Firstly, he started by saying that; “Today, I’m announced my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men’s test team. It’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket.” He further added that; “As background on my decision; nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague. At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation; throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in.”
Paine said, “However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public. 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.” Later he expressed; “And I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately. I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes Series.”
“I have loved my role as captain of the Australian cricket team. It’s been the greatest privilege of my sporting life to lead the Australian men’s test team. I’m grateful for the support of my teammates and proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together.” He concluded his statement by stating that; “I will remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team and look forward with anticipation to what is a huge Ashes tour.”
