Tim Paine has quit as Test captain after being investigated by Cricket Australia for allegedly sending explicit messages to a female co-worker.
The veteran wicketkeeper, who has been facing a race against time to be fit for the first Ashes Test on December 8, has been named in a News Corp report as being at the centre of a sexting scandal.
Paine, 36, fronted media in Hobart on Friday to announce he was resigning.
It is understood the messages date back to 2017, months before Paine was recalled to the Test team after a seven-year absence.
Paine was elevated to the captaincy in March 2018 following the explosive fallout from the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Fast bowler Pat Cummins is Australia's current vice-captain and had been tipped to assume the role once Paine retired.
© AAP 2021
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