HOBART: Cricket Tasmania (CT) is fuming at the treatment of Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine, who voluntarily stepped down as Test captain after an off-field scandal in which he sent text messages to a former CT employee in 2017.

On Tuesday, Cricket Tasmania chairman Andrew Gaggin issued a statement saying the former Test captain should never have been put in a position where he had to resign as captain ahead of the Ashes, which begin on December 8 in Brisbane.  "It is evident from recent interactions I have had that the outrage amongst the Tasmanian cricket community and broader public is palpable," Gaggin said on Tuesday.

"Over the last four years, Tim Paine has been a light for Australian cricket, playing a key role in restoring the national team's reputation following the Cape Town disaster." After the ball-tampering incident, commonly known as Sandpaper-gate, in the Cape Town Test in 2018, Paine was named Test captain to restore the Australian cricket team's reputation. Following the affair, three Australian players were banned: then-captain Steve Smith, his deputy David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.

"Yet, at a time when CA should have been rallying behind Tim, he was clearly seen as expendable. Cricket Australia's handling of the Australian Test captain has been horrible, and it's the worst since Bill Lawry over 50 years ago "Gaggin stated.

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