Tim Paine Sexting Row: Talking about his secret visit to former Australia captain Tim Paine, team’s head coach Justin Langer has said that the 37-year-old is “shattered” and has “changed” following the sexting row which has seen him take an indefinite break from cricket ahead of the Ashes. Follow InsideSports.IN for more such news.
Notably, Paine’s historic workplace sexual harassment allegations emerged recently and the incident initially forced him to step down from the Test captaincy before taking an indefinite mental health break from cricket.
Justin Langer opened up on his recent visit to the glovesman in Hobart, having flown from the Australian team’s training camp in Queensland ahead of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
“He’s one of my really close friends and someone I admire enormously. Certainly in this generation of players, he’s one of the best people I’ve met in the game of cricket,” Langer told Fox Sports.
“He’s been our captain for a long time, he and I have been through a journey like we have with all of this group. He’s one of the best people I’ve met in cricket, so it was nice to go down and see him.
“When I saw him, he’s obviously shattered with what’s happened. He has been such an exemplary figure in Australian cricket for the last four years particularly. His life has changed, obviously. But you’d have to ask him how he’s going.
“It was important to see him, we talk about looking after our boys and having each other’s backs. It was a no-brainer for me to go and see him,” the 51-year-old added.
Langer, one of Australia’s all-time great, also minced no words in criticising the society for being “judgmental”. He opined that like everyone Paine made a mistake and is already paying a heavy price for it.
“We live in a world of perfectionism, don’t we? We’re a very judgmental society.
“As I said in my very first press conference when I was asked about Steve Smith and David Warner and Cameron Bancroft (after the ball-tampering saga) – there’s not one person who is asking questions here, or who is on the camera here, or who is listening to this or watching who hasn’t made a mistake in their life.
“There’s not a single person. Our captain, one of the best, made a mistake and is paying a heavy price for it.
“What I see, I continually see in this job and see in the society we live in – it’s brutal. You learn your lessons, but we live in an unforgiving society. And that’s a shame.”
The whole controversy has also raised speculations that Tim Paine might never wear the baggy green ever again. Selectors have already confirmed that Alex Carey – Paine’s heir apparent will become the country’s 461st male Test player next week at the Gabba.
However, Langer has backed Paine to make a comeback for Australia.
“He loves cricket. He absolutely loves cricket,” Langer said.
“He’s 37, he is as fit as any athlete, certainly in our squad and we have some fit athletes here. He looks after himself so well, he’s very focused. So who knows?
“His number one priority is his family as you can imagine and that’s how it should be, but I’m not sure we’ve seen the end of him.
“We will wait and see, that will be his decision.”
