The knockabout Tasmanian prodigy, Australian cricket's youngest-ever contracted player at just 15, was at the time the salve for our wounded national pride in the wake of the South African sandpaper debacle which sullied the reputations of Steve Smith and David Warner, two of our best players.

We'd previously tolerated Shane Warne's shenanigans but cheating on the field was something else entirely.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Paine was an unlikely choice. And what a job he was given. With the team at rock bottom, sponsors pulling out and the fans and media delivering broadsides, he had to win back the nation's respect.

The quote from Australian cricket coach Justin Langer, delivered during the streaming service special on Amazon Prime, summed up the national sentiment at the time.

"When I first took on the role [of coach], they [the selectors] said, 'Tim Paine's going to be the captain'," Langer said.

"I sort of went, 'Tim Paine? Good bloke, but the captain of Australia'?"

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The so-called makeshift captain backed up with some inspired batting and keeping against Virat Kohli's very powerful Indian touring team.

Forgotten now, on a bouncy WA pitch, was how hard Paine was hit, and so many times - in the helmet, in the body - last summer. Against the Indian quicks topping 140km/h, he deliberately chose not to wear any protective arm gear to show he had no fear.

He smiled back at the bowlers as the bruise count climbed. That fierce resistance, and an unwillingness to rise to the Indian banter bait, rubbed off on the team.

And our pride and love of the game returned.

But now we are all at sea once more. This week we blinked with astonishment as the family man, the cleanskin captain we so admired, admitted to a sexting scandal that occurred way back in 2017.

Cricket Tasmania knew about it, as (presumably) did Cricket Australia. But they kept it quiet, having investigated at the time and found no breach of the code of conduct.

Paine fell on his sword (again, presumably because the lewd text exchanges were going to be made public). He's recovering from injury, is 36, and has most likely played his final game for his country.

Our captaincy choices dwindle at every turn. Smith and Warner are tainted goods and bowler Pat Cummins is being touted as the logical successor. But bowlers' bodies break down. And they need to rest. So then what? This is a most sticky wicket for cricket.

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