BBC SPORTS 26 NOV SYDNEY- Former Australia Test captain Tim Paine is set to miss the Ashes series against England after announcing he will take an immediate break from cricket.
The wicketkeeper stepped down as skipper last week over a historical investigation into sexually explicit texts which he sent to a female colleague in 2017.
In a statement, Cricket Tasmania said Paine, 36, had advised them that he was taking a leave of absence “for the foreseeable future”.
It added that it “will continue to support Tim and his family both professionally and personally over the summer”.
Fast bowler Pat Cummins succeeded Paine as Australia Test captain on Friday, with batsman Steve Smith promoted to be vice-captain.
Earlier this week, the state association’s chairman Andrew Gaggin said Paine’s treatment by Cricket Australia had been “appalling.”
Paine’s manager James Henderson wrote on Twitter that the player was taking “an indefinite mental health break”.
He added: “We are extremely concerned for his and [wife] Bonnie’s well-being and will be making no further comment at this time.”
Paine sent messages to a co-worker at Cricket Tasmania in November 2017, leading to a misconduct investigation after she made allegations against him in 2018.
He said he was “exonerated”, with Cricket Australia (CA) clearing him of any breach of their code of conduct at the time and Cricket Tasmania deciding “no further action was required or appropriate”.
However, after learning the texts were set to be revealed publicly, Paine stepped down in a tearful press conference in Hobart, saying his actions did not meet the “standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community”.
The first Test against England is due to start on 8 December in Brisbane.
