Australia’s Test captain Tim Paine on Friday announced he is quitting his coveted role, weeks ahead of the all-important Ashes Test series at home. In a shocking turn of events, Paine addressed the press early on Friday, shedding light on the ‘sexting scandal’ in which he had sent text messages to a former Cricket Tasmania colleague in 2017.

Tim Paine broke down in tears as he made the address, stressing that his actions did not meet the standard of an Australian Test captain. Paine said he will continue to be a ‘committed’ member of the team ahead of the Ashes, starting December 8 at the Gabba.

Notably, it has emerged that Tim Paine had sent the text messages to a Cricket Tasmania employee in November 2017, well before he was made Australia’s Test captain after the SandPaper gate. The woman in question made a complaint following which Cricket Australia was made aware of the texts.

Both Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania conducted investigations. Paine on Friday said he was “exonerated” after the investigation.

Why has Tim Paine resigned as Test captain now?

Although the complaint from the woman was made nearly 4 years ago, Paine said his decision to quit Australia Test captaincy came after he came to know the text messages were going to be made public by the media. Paine said he deeply regretted his actions back then as well as now.

Full Text: Deeply hurt by the pain I have caused to my family – Tim Paine

“Nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague,” Paine told the media.

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, 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,” he added.

‘Breaks my heart to know I have let my family down’

“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. To them, I ask for their understanding and forgiveness.

“To Australian cricket fans – deeply sorry that my past behaviour has impacted our game on the eve of the Ashes. For the disappointment I have caused to fans and the entire cricket community, I apologise.

“I’ve been blessed with a wonderful, loving and supportive family, and it breaks my heart to know how much I’ve let them down,” he said.