Head of Cricket Australia Richard Freudenstein needs to have a good hard look at himself in the mirror and ask a simple question: if he thought Tim Paine’s texting behaviour should disbar him as Australian cricket captain, why didn’t he disbar him? And if he comes up with an answer, he should share it with us.
Freudenstein should also tell us when he was told about Paine’s actions, what he did if he disagreed with the previous board’s position, and whether he thought the sport’s code of conduct or anything else needed adjustment. Because surely if the sexting didn’t breach the code of conduct, but he believed it deserved disbarment, the code should have been changed.
He should tell us whether he questioned the board members who were part of the decision to allow Paine to continue as captain, and on what basis they allayed his concerns that it should not be reinvestigated.
And then he should be a touch more transparent in telling us how the new captain will be chosen, without his gibberish at the weekend when we were told it would be a very thorough process — but quite quick — and there would be a range of criteria, and even a range of candidates. What does that even mean? Does Paine’s texting scandal change the criteria on who might get the gig?
This sorry saga has exposed many questions that warrant answers off the field.
The captaincy of the Australian cricket team is jokingly tagged the second highest office in the land, after the prime ministership. That carries with it responsibilities beyond the pitch. Children the nation over idolise their cricket heroes, and each weekend in summer it’s hard to find an amateur cricketer who doesn’t want to wear the baggy green. It’s a privilege. And yet Steve Smith forced families to have conversations around the dinner table about cheating. Now those same families have “dick pics” as a mealtime topic.
(As a side issue, I haven’t yet met a woman who is enamoured to receive a picture of a penis popping up on her phone.)
Freudenstein isn’t responsible for Paine’s behaviour, but he and his team need to look at their behaviour too. They knew this would be made public; there were repeated threats. And their strategy is to blame the previous board? And for Cricket Tasmania to allow the public “victim blaming” of a complainant?
“I was disappointed to see Cricket Tasmania in the first line of their statement really try and discredit the woman involved,’’ Australian netball legend Liz Ellis said yesterday. “That was a terrible example of victim blaming and they probably need to have a long hard look at themselves.”
Spot on. That change room mirror at Cricket Australia needs to be big enough to allow a few more reflections, it seems.
Paine needs to be in front of it, too. Yes, he’s an adult. Yes, it was a few words. Yes, blah, blah blah. But is that the sort of tacky and adolescent behaviour we want from the person leading our national cricket team?
I wished he’d owned this behaviour earlier. But at least when he did his self-judgment was brutal. That’s the point where our children may learn something good from this.
It’s also the reason why Smith should step back into the captaincy. It’s been three years since the ball-tampering affair shredded his career. What he did will always be wrong, but in life, what we do is important as how we do it. And Smith has worked off the field even harder than on the field to rebuild his reputation and to show the nation he can be trusted again.
He knows the cost of doing something wrong. And he’s proof that when we make a dreadful mistake we can climb out of the swamp and fix it. Nothing is forever.
Paine has to spend more time in that swamp. He knows that. But Freudenstein shouldn’t think Cricket Australia is off the hook. Ducking and weaving might work on the pitch. But off it? Cricket fans deserve some better answers than they are getting.
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Madonna, the sad truth is that Little John was not joking when he anointed the men’s cricket captain as his almost equal (these days I guess he would have to anoint at least three captains). More seriously, I am amazed that anyone is still amazed by CA’s endless blunders. I used to follow cricket but these days barely bother with it; most of the several reasons are down to CA, notably its being comfortable with a test team primarily skilled at trash talking and sledging. We all know how that ended up. CA has clearly learned nothing.
I am not sure about all of this, are we not holding a 21st century behaviour up to 19th century morality? The whole younger generation is spending its time sending dick pix and nudie shots to each other.
Tim was not in a position of power at the time, I read he didn’t even have a playing contract at the time, so it’s not the usual power imbalance that normally surrounds these issues. We do not know the context around the photo, was it a swap of intimacy that suddenly become quasi blackmail? via the sensationalist media? Suddenly Rupert Murdochs’ cheque book becomes our moral compass?
I can understand that the writer says the code of conduct was not good enough, but how long does something like this remain relevant?
He made a mistake. 4 years later, and he has not repeated that mistake. He deserves better than to be tried in the media.
I’m not sure about it either, Grumpy. Two days of,initially at least,consensual flirty texting which Paine apparently stupidly escalated and which apparently culminated in a dickpic, in November 2017, included a text from the woman involved saying “We’re both f-ked if this got out.” But, not long after the exchange she resigns (and what went on there is just not clear from the news stories I’ve seen) and then in 2018 she reports to CA about “Mr Paine’s sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited photograph of his genitals in addition to the graphic sexual comments” so it’s “got out”. It’s then dealt with … except that three years later the 2018 CA investigation becomes public, including the full extent of the texting (minus the pic), though only Paine is named. Paine opting to fall on his, um, sword was probably a sensible thing to do in light of the unaccountable media’s proclivity for self-righteousness and for hunting its chosen targets to the death. But how did the inquiry, its outcome and the details of the texting get out? Who leaked it now and why?
‘The whole younger generation is spending its time sending dick pix and nudie shots to each other.‘
Really? No wonder younger generations are so easily thrown under a bus by the LNP…..
The only thing he did wrong, was not to ask permission to send the picture he did. It all seemed very consensual up ’til then.
I sense a set-up.
As long as we have serious cheats on the team I can’t see why someone guilty of a non-cricket misdemeanour should not be captain. What with the long history of sledging, even wanting to be on the team is a character fault, surely. They behave like little boys.
The only detail I’ve heard in the second or two it takes to reduce the volume when this rubbish is, yet again, repeated, is that it was a consensual exchange between, assumed, adults.
For the spouse involuntarily involved I can offer sympathy.
‘She’ is very much middle aged. 10 years older than Tum I believe.
Oi enough of the middle aged thanks! 😉 Are you talking about the unnamed party?
Yes
She has been named because she is about to appear in court on charges of stealing from CT.