Australia cricket captain resigns after “sexting” scandal

By DENNIS PASSA
AP Sports Writer

Australia’s test cricket captain has quit after being investigated by Cricket Australia for sending explicit text messages to a female co-worker four years ago. Veteran wicketkeeper Tim Paine was named in a News Corp. report as being at the center of the sexting scandal. The 36-year-old Paine appeared before media to announce he is resigning the captaincy but wanted to remain a member of the test squad. The announcement comes less than three weeks before the Dec. 8 start of the five-test Ashes series against England. Paine says “it’s an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket.”