Tasmania have not offered a fresh state contract to former Australia captain Tim Paine for the 2022-23 season, casting further doubts over the 37-year-old's playing career. Paine has been missing in action since resigning as Australia captain on the back of an off-field scandal, where he sent explicit texts to a female coworker at Cricket Tasmania in 2017. He went on a mental health break post that and there's little clarity now over whether he will return to competitive cricket at all.
A Cricket Tasmania spokesperson said on Thursday Paine was not given a contract by his home state because he was still on mental health leave from national governing body Cricket Australia. Paine was accused by a former Cricket Tasmania receptionist of sending sexually explicit messages to her four years ago but the cricketer said they were consensual. He was cleared by an internal investigation in 2018 which was not revealed to the public until late last year. Paine's accuser Renee Ferguson has launched a sexual harrassment claim against Cricket Tasmania. Ferguson has separately been accused of stealing money from Cricket Tasmania and her case is before a Hobart court. She denies the allegations.
