Cricket Australia confirmed earlier today that Tim Paine has stepped down as Test captain of the team following a controversy involving Paine sending explicit messages to a female co-worker at Cricket Tasmania in 2017.

During an emotional press conference, Tim Paine broke down while addressing the media and expressing regret over his actions. He read out from a statement at the Blundstone Arena but did not take any questions. The cricketer said, “It’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket. As a 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.”

“That investigation and a Cricket Tasmania HR investigation at the same time found that there had been no breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct. Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time, and still do today. I spoke to my wife and family at the time and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support. We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years. 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,” Paine further stated.

“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. 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,” he added.