Tim Paine sexting scandal: Elite panel will pick Australia’s next captain

Cricket Australia has fast-tracked the process to select the next captain with a panel of directors and selectors to make the decision.

Cricket Australia director Mel Jones is part of the panel that will appoint Australia’s next cricket captain Picture: Getty Images

Cricket Australia has set up a select panel which will start a three-step process to vet candidates to replace Tim Paine as Test captain.

The National Selection Panel, which consists of George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide and Justin Langer, has already referred names to the other body.

The vetting will be done by a panel headed by acting chair Richard Freudenstein, chief executive Nick Hockley, former player and current director Mel Jones, Bailey and Dodemaide.

Once their work is done it will recommend to the board, which is under fire over its handling of the Paine resignation.

Players are in camp on the Gold Coast serving a Queensland government quarantine after returning victorious from the T20 World Cup.

Pat Cummins and Steve Smith, who are in the camp, are the two most likely to be considered. Both have their challenges.

Cummins is a fast bowler facing five Tests in a hectic summer and a tour of Pakistan soon after. An intelligent man who has worked closely with Paine as his deputy there is a suggestion he could take or leave the job which can only add to his burden.

Smith is understood to be keen but has the baggage of being the man whose sacking led to Paine’s appointment following the Sandpaper scandal.

Paine resigned on Friday under pressure from the board when details of a previously investigated sexting incident became public.

Freudenstein said the new board would not have let him continue in 2018 when the incident was first investigated.

Two directors remain from that period and the issue has caused tension in the boardroom

Paine returned to cricket on Monday with the Tasmanian second XI side following neck surgery. The wicket keeper took six catches on the first day but was out second ball when the team batted on Tuesday.

His fitness for selection as a wicket keeper will rely primarily on his physical state but selectors will be monitoring his mental state in what is a time of enormous personal stress.

Bailey told the Cricket Et Cetera podcast this week that there had always been contingency plans.

“The nature of Tim’s role and age it is not a conversation that hasn’t come up in the past, Tim’s position aside that’s the same thing we do about David Warner at the age he is at the top of the order or the three fast bowlers we’ve been reliant on, Nathan Lyon has been a constant conversation about how important he has been to the team. They’re all at an age where you have to be a little bit prepared.

“We’ve named Alex Carey in the Australia A team, but at the moment as far as positions batting wicket keepers go we are in a reasonably strong position between Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Jimmy Peirson, I watched Josh Philippe bat beautifully yesterday (Sunday) as well. It would be quite nice if we could play four or five wicket keepers.

Players are said to be upset with the way Paine has been treated after he worked so hard to rebuild the team’s reputation following the sandpaper scandal.

Freudenstein confirmed on the weekend background checks would be done on candidates.

“There are a range of candidates who are available for that role,” Freudenstein said. “Steve Smith is one of the candidates that is available for the role.

“We’ve put in place a process for finding the next Australian captain that was going to take place over the summer in anticipation Tim would one day retire. We’re obviously accelerating that process. It’ll be a very thorough but brief process that will look at all the relevant criteria for a captain of the Australian cricket team. We will come to a conclusion (on) that with plenty of time before the Ashes.”

Former chair of CA David Peever also attacked the board’s handling of the Paine affair.

“I’m disappointed to see a current Chairman publicly criticising decisions of a previous Board, several members of whom are still on the Board and were part of the 2018 decision.

“I’m also very disappointed at the way Tim Paine had been treated by Cricket Australia.

“Tim has been an incredible servant of the game and took over the leadership of the national team in the most difficult of circumstances. He has led with distinction for more than three years,” he said on Sunday.

“He deserves Cricket Australia’s loyalty and not to be abandoned at this time.

“The event in question occurred four years ago and before Tim was appointed Australian Captain. By his own admission Tim has regretted those actions at that time.

“But after investigation he was found not to have breached Cricket Australia’s Code of Conduct or any other rules, and the matter considered private and consensual between two adults. Why have a Code of Conduct if you are going to make up your own rules as you go?

“Cricket Australia’s decision seems knee jerk and unfortunately shows double standards. This issue has been doing the rounds in cricket circles for some years now. The current Chairman has been on the Board for two years and it is implausible he didn’t know about it. If he and his Board felt so strongly about it, why wait until now to act?”