Handing over leadership reigns to Tim Paine was a bad call, admits Cricket Australia

Cricket Australia Chairman Richard Freudenstein on Saturday (November 20) admitted that handing over the leadership reigns to Tim Paine was a bad call. The wicketkeeper-batter recently stepped down from his post after his lewd messages, which he sent to a female co-worker in 2018, went viral on social media.

Freudenstein said a captain represents a team thus someone who was allegedly involved in such an act should not have been made the skipper.

"I can't talk about the 2018 decision, I wasn't there. But I am saying based on the facts as they are today the board of Cricket Australia would not have made that decision," Freudenstein said in a joint press conference with CA CEO Nick Hockley.

"I acknowledge the decision clearly sent the wrong message that this behavior is acceptable and without serious consequences. The role of Australian cricket captain must be held to the highest standards," he added.

Paine was promoted to captaincy by CA after the sandpaper controversy in 2018. During the three years at the helm, the wicketkeeper-batter restored some pride in the Australian team. Ironically, due to yet another off-field saga, the 36-year-old has quit the role. During the initial investigation, it was also found that the wicketkeeper-batter did not breach the CA’s code of conduct.

The CA chairman said that the board has modified their code of conduct rules. "The code of conduct is (now) appropriate, it's important to note a lot of things have changed since the time," Freudenstein said.

"There's programs in place that address things like sexting since the 2018 season. We have undertaken a full review of the sexual harassment education.