Just when Cricket Australia thought things couldn't get any worse, Candice Warner has weighed into the Tim Paine sexting debate – and she hasn't held back.
As one half of Australian cricket's number one power couple, the wife of opening batsman David Warner carries a lot of sway amongst the Test team's WAGs and, by extension, their husbands.
When Mrs Warner makes a comment about a matter of concern within the dressing room, it can be taken as read that it is a direct reflection of her husband's opinion.
With the players keeping tight-lipped about the treatment meted out by CA to Paine – clearing him as a player over the sexting scandal and then endorsing his resignation as captain - Candice has done their talking for them.
The Australian cricket world was rocked when it was revealed former Test captain Tim Paine (pictured with wife Bonnie) had sent lewd messages to a female colleague in 2017
Candace Warner, wife of cricketer David Warner, has broken her silence on Cricket Australia's response to Paine's sexting scandal
Speaking on radio station 2GB, the former iron-woman said she was 'concerned' and 'worried' over the message sent by CA's actions.
'They're basically saying that it's not okay for an Australian cricket captain to send these messages, but it's okay for an Australian player,' she said.
'As a wife of an Australian player, that is slightly concerning, and it does make me worry.'
She said that the players were supporting Paine 'but it's also about supporting his family through a really difficult situation.'
Also going through a 'really difficult situation' is Cricket Australia which in the space of 10 days has gone from an organisation smugly looking forward to the financial bonanza and massive TV ratings of the upcoming Ashes series, to one under siege from inside and out, facing a player revolt, divided dressing room, public criticism, negative media coverage and a scathing attack from one of its own affiliate associations.
The top level of Australian cricket has always been riddled with factions, cliques, whispers and conspiracy theories but rarely have the battle lines been drawn as clearly as they are now.
How badly has Cricket Australia handled the Tim Paine Affair, and what is the backlash? Let us count the ways:
'They're basically saying that it's not okay for an Australian cricket captain to send these messages, but it's okay for an Australian player,' Mrs Warner told 2GB
The Dressing Room
The relationship between Australia's top tier players and the people running the game was not good before last Friday, but it is a lot worse now. The players believe that Cricket Australia hung Tim Paine out to dry, reinforcing their belief that CA does not have their backs. It is the one thing they all agree on.
The players are split on whether Paine should be picked for the upcoming series. As one insider said, 'There are those who think Tim shouldn't be allowed back in the side because what he did was wrong, and those who think he should be because what CA did was wrong. Then there are those who don't really care one way or the other because when it all comes down to it, cricket is a very individual sport. A lot of the players would be looking at this situation only in the light of how it affects their careers.
'Tim was unusual because in the past the Australian captaincy always went to the best player. Tim isn't even close to that, but after Sandpapergate they didn't need the best player, they needed the best captain at the time. He did a pretty good job and the players all thought he was fine, unlike with Michael Clarke. Now that has changed. Tim won't be captain anymore so the players will be asking themselves, will I be better off or worse off with someone else in the team?'
The Blame Game
The inevitable wave of public debate that came hot on the heels of the biggest Australian cricket scandal since … well, since the last one, followed a familiar pattern: shock, outrage, recrimination and, of course, finding someone to blame. Predictably, the majority of anger was initially aimed at Paine, a married man who not only sent lewd messages and an explicit photo to a woman while his wife
