Tim Paine resigns as Australia’s Test cricket captain over ‘private’ text messages sent to colleague

• Shock resignation comes just weeks out from first Test
• Paine says he is sorry for damage done to sport's reputation

Australia's Test cricket captain Tim Paine has stepped down from his role on the eve of the Ashes series after a historic investigation into text messages sent to a colleague surfaced.

Paine made the decision to resign - just weeks out from the start of the series against England - after it became clear to him that details of the incident in 2017, which predated his appointment as Test captain, were about to be made public.