Tim Paine quits as captain after sexting scandal: Other skippers who resigned after controversies

The most recent incident of a skipper stepping down from captaincy duties for the absolute interests of the team was that of Aussie Test captain Tim Paine. 

On November 19, just days before the start of the Ashes series, Australian skipper Tim Paine resigned from captaincy duties. The wicketkeeper was allegedly involved in a sexting scandal with a female colleague four years ago. 

He addressed the media and even broke down in tears and said it was in the "best interests of his team, family, and the entire cricket fraternity."

Apparently, Paine was involved in an obscene text exchange with a co-worker and even exchanged sexual graphics with a female colleague. 

"On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of Australian cricket captain or the wider community. I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I’m sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport."

Next on the list is another Aussie cricketer - Steve Smith. Back in 2018, Smith, was embroiled in the sandpaper scandal, which had shaken the entire cricket world. As a result, he and vice-captain David Warner both had to step down from their roles.

Smith had admitted being guilty and further quoted, "We spoke about it at lunch and I'm not proud of it. It's not within the spirit of the game, my integrity or the team's integrity, the leadership group’s integrity has all come to question and rightly so. It's not on and it certainly won’t happen again I can promise you that".

As a result, Smith and Warner were barred from captaincy duties and also suspended from all international and domestic cricket for a year. 

Cameron Bancroft, who was also involved, was handed a nine-month suspension from all forms of cricket.

Not just Australian cricket but also the Indian Premier League (IPL) took action against Steve Smith post the sandpaper gate controversy. 

The batter had also resigned from captaincy duties of Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2018 and Ajinkya Rahane was named as his replacement skipper. Smith believed that it was in the best interest of his team that he stepped down from captaincy.

As for the Rajasthan Royals management, they stated that they will do everything possible to protect the game's values and integrity.

After being banned by the BCCI, Smith and Warner not only lost their captaincy but also missed the entire IPL season.

While this is not a personal controversy, but an issue that shook the world. Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, a new cricket board was appointed and Rashid Khan was named captain for the side at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021.

However, the spinner resigned as captain shortly after the squad was announced as he was apparently dissatisfied with the World Cup team selections. 

He even claimed that the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) and the selection committee did not ask for his approval for the team that was chosen for the mega event. 

He went on to add that as a captain and responsible citizen of the country, he reserved the right to have a say in team selections. 

Back in 2003, Pakistan's Rashid Latif had to step down as captain ahead of their tour of South Africa. He was at odds with the PCB and the selection committee after writing a letter to the ICC about the match-fixing scandals that were going on at the time.

Apparently, Tauqir Zia, the then chairman of PCB had expressed his displeasure with Latif when the former wicketkeeper batter was embroiled in a controversy over claiming a catch after dropping it. 

Moreover, he even made statements to the media and wrote a letter to the ICC, both of which violated the PCB's Code of Conduct. 

Later he resigned as captain and handed over the reins to Inzamam ul-Haq.