'I'm sorry for any damage': Australia's Tim Paine resigns as captain after his involvement in sexting scandal
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The governing body has accepted the resignation, a decision Paine said he made as he was aware the investigation by the body's integrity unit would be made public
Tim Paine abruptly stepped down as Australia's test cricket captain on Friday after the sexting scandal where he exchanged sexual graphics with a female colleague.
"Today, I'm announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men's Test team," said Paine.
Speaking about the text exchange, he said, "Nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague."
"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," he said.
"I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I'm sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport."
Paine highlighted that he will remain a committed member of the Australian cricket team.
In a statement, Cricket Australia said, "The Board has accepted Tim’s resignation and will now work through a process with the national selection panel of identifying and appointing a new captain.
"While the board acknowledges an investigation cleared Tim of any breach of the code of conduct regarding this matter some years ago, we respect his decision. CA does not condone this type of language or behaviour."
"Tim will continue to be available for selection in the Test team through the Ashes summer."
(With inputs from agencies)