Tim Paine sexting scandal: Cricket Tasmania launches brutal attack on Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia are understood to be seething following Cricket Tasmania’s extraordinary attack on their ‘appalling’ treatment of Tim Paine.

(FILES) This file photo taken on January 19, 2021 shows Australia's captain Tim Paine looking on between the overs on day five of the fourth cricket Test match between Australia and India at The Gabba in Brisbane. - Tim Paine announced his shock resignation as Australian Test cricket captain on November 19, 2021 over what he described as an inappropriate "private text exchange" with a then-colleague. (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON / AFP) / — IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE —

The Tim Paine sexting scandal has sparked an uncivil war across the game with Cricket Tasmania savaging Cricket Australia, whose own board also appears at odds with itself.

News Corp understands that Tasmanian Chairman Andrew Gaggin personally phoned CA Chair Richard Freudenstein to spell out his organisation’s fury at head office’s “appalling” treatment of Paine, sentiments that were later spelt out in a blistering press release on Tuesday.

At an emotional meeting on Monday night, Cricket Tasmania’s board – including Test legend David Boon on video link from quarantine on the Gold Coast – unanimously condemned Cricket Australia for abandoning Paine, coming to the conclusion that CA had given the Australian captain no option but to fall on his sword.

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Former Australian Test captain Tim Paine was back playing in the second XI V South Australia this week. Picture Nikki Davis-Jones

It’s understood Cricket Tasmania are also planning to send a letter to CA to further convey their anger, after Gaggin likened the treatment of Paine to Bill Lawry being thrown under the boss by cricket administrators more than 50 years ago.

“In conversations I have had in recent days it is clear that the anger amongst the Tasmanian cricket community and general public is palpable,” said Gaggin.

“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.

“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 in breach of the code of conduct and was a consensual and private exchange that occurred between two mature adults and was not repeated.”

Tim Paine became embroiled in a sexting scandal which resulted in him stepping down as Test captain. Picture: Chris Kidd

Cricket Australia are understood to be furious by Tasmania’s outburst but are remaining silent.

Test great Lawry said he had no comment when contacted by News Corp on Tuesday about having his name linked to Paine in history.

Ian Chappell took over from Lawry when he was “disgracefully” sacked in 1971 and vowed “the bastards will never get me like that.”

This is the same volatile environment that Pat Cummins may now be asked to take the reins as Test captain in the coming days, with former Cricket Australia Chairman David Peever having already slaughtered the current administration for deserting Paine.

Peever provided News Corp a statement on Sunday slamming Chairman Richard Freudenstein for asserting that the current board of Cricket Australia would have sacked Paine if they were in charge back in 2018 when the sexting incident was investigated – despite the fact the skipper was cleared at the time by the game’s integrity unit.

It’s understood there is now tension on the CA board on the back of Freudenstein’s comments, given current board members including John Harnden and Michelle Tredenick were part of the 2018 decision to clear Paine that has now been criticised by the Chairman.

Australian Cricketers Association chief Todd Greenberg has also lamented the lack of support shown to Paine by CA.

Former Cricket Tasmania chief executive Nick Cummins spoke out on Tuesday to vehemently defend the thoroughness of the investigations conducted by his former organisation and Cricket Australia at the time, describing the probe into Paine’s conduct as “bulletproof.”

“I think that the process that Cricket Australia used at the time was bulletproof,” Cummins, now the CEO of Cricket Victoria told SEN.

Cricket Tasmania CEO Nick Cummins defended the investigation into Paine’s conduct. Picture: Richard Jupe

“Sean Carroll led the process (from Cricket Australia), for those that know him he’s a highly experienced integrity professional and someone that you never enjoy dealing with because you know he’s going to follow the letter of the law, irrespective of how it may look in the media.

“We were really satisfied that was done the right way.”

Cummins said the investigation was conducted around a belief the story would eventually become public.

“I still believe in the findings of the day,” said Cummins.

“… when you go through these things and I certainly know that Sean did, that you always do it under the assumption that it will get out, so you have to be able to stand by that decision in moments like now and justify it.

“I think it was justifiable at the time.”

Originally published as Tim Paine sexting scandal: Cricket Tasmania launches brutal attack on Cricket Australia