A tearful Tim Paine has quit the Australian captaincy, revealing he was involved in a sexting scandal with a Tasmanian cricket employee.
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In a major distraction for Australia's Ashes hopes and less than a month before the first Test, Paine stood down after details emerged of a 2017 exchange of photos and messages with a female colleague.
The messages were sent in 2017 just months before Paine was recalled to the Test team after a seven-year absence.
He then stepped into the captaincy role following the Cape Town sandpaper scandal and led Australia to an Ashes victory in England two years ago.
Paine fronted media in Hobart on Friday, but didn't take questions. He conceded his actions did not meet the standards required to be the Australian captain.
"I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public," Paine said.
"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 I have caused to my wife, my family and to the other party.
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"I'm sorry for any damage this does to the reputation of our sport and I believe it is the right decision for me to stand down effective immediately."
Paine was emotional at times during the three-minute address to the media and the news is a massive distraction before Australia's quest to retain the Ashes.
He was viewed as the leader Australia needed after Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were all banned following a ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
But News Corp reported Paine had sent a "d*** pic" and lewd messages to a woman before the 2017-18 Ashes series.
"Nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague," Paine said.
"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."
Cricket Australia chairman Richard Freudenstein told News Corp the board accepted Paine's resignation.
Pat Cummins and Smith will be contenders to replace Paine.
"I have loved my role as captain of the Australian cricket team," Paine said.
"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 - I'm 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. They have always stood by me, been my most loyal fans, and I'm indebted to them for their support.