Latest news from Tim Paine on cricket, AFL and netball: what you need to know this morning

‘Gun to the Head’: Paine breaks silence on brutal exit

Tim Paine has claimed he was effectively sacked as Test captain by a PR consultant, criticizing Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley for not having the ‘courage’ to do it himself .

Paine ultimately chose to resign as Australian skipper amid a sexting scandal last November, but only because he felt CA bosses had “pointed a gun to my head”.

In a tell-all new book, The Price Paid, Paine opens up about his deep personal shame for his actions, but admits he felt suspended by a CA board that years earlier had authorized his exchange with a Tasmanian cricket employee as “consensual”. ‘, only to backtrack on their support for him once the story was made public.

Paine is scathing to Hockley and CA executives for abandoning him and in particular for letting a consultant outside the organization tell him he should walk the plank.

“We made a phone connection that included this person they had hired at a public relations firm who had apparently advised the council in the past,” Paine writes.

“He said he’s been in the newspaper game for many years and it’s going to be huge and won’t go away. I thought it was very odd that this person, someone I’d never met and someone one who did not work at Cricket Australia took the lead on the call while Nick, the managing director, sat in the back.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Paine also wrote about Australia’s Sandpapergate scandal in Cape Town, saying the team should have faced the heat more collectively – rather than just Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft – because “everyone was a part of it. in a certain way”. LEARN MORE HERE

Lyon’s romantic return to the Saints marred by reality

Ross Lyon’s first spell at St Kilda is viewed with affection by fans who have welcomed him with open arms. But he will face a much tougher challenge this time around, writes DANIEL CHERNY.

Ross Lyon’s winning percentage in his first spell as St Kilda manager was 65.91%. It’s a fitting number in that it’s just shy of 66 because of the 14 men who have held the job at the Saints since Allan Jeans, none are closer to ending the club’s torturous obsession. for 66 than Lyon.

For most AFL clubs, the return of former premiership heroes brings a sense of security by association. Even when the going gets tough, fans can rest assured that such and such is coming home to bring back the good old days. That’s where Neil Balme returned to Richmond at the end of 2016 (not to mention Balme’s formidable reputation as a football administrator), when Carlton appointed Greg Williams as director of football last year, and the more cynically at Essendon when Kevin Sheedy was co-opted to the board at the end of 2020. It also partly explains why some of the Bombers membership wanted James Hird to replace Ben Rutten as coach. The fact that Hird was also considered by a sizable minority to have been a scapegoat was also significant.

At St Kilda, it is almost impossible for the heroes of 66 to be brought back into the professional fold. Jeans died over a decade ago and the youngest member of the 1966 Grand Final – Allan Davis – is 74.

The closest to the Saints is the Lyon era.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Chatfield: Diamonds game changers have just risen

Huge Aussie performances emerged in Gretel Bueta’s absence, while a Silver Ferns star brought back memories of an icon. BIANCA CHATFIELD delivers her Constellation Cup distinctions, her successes and her failures.

What the Constellation Cup has shown us is that Australia and New Zealand will be the two standout teams heading into next year’s Netball World Cup.

Both countries’ incredible depth is something we haven’t seen in a long time, and coaches Stacey Marinkovich and Dame Noeline Taurua have many more players to choose from than Jamaica and England, for example.

The Diamonds alone strapped four new players in Amy Parmenter, Maddy Proud, Ruby Bakewell-Doran and Sophie Dwyer in the first two games of the series, which at the time seemed like overkill. But both teams appear to have a master plan at play and are using the Constellation Cup as part of their selection process for Cape Town.

READ THE COMPLETE COLUMN HERE

How Vic bat guru became an honorary member of Vanuatu

On a trip to Vanuatu, Melbourne bat repairer Peter Duffy noticed the lack of resources for locals playing. He started a great relationship with the nation’s cricketers, writes PAUL AMY.

How does a cricketer from Mentone club in Bayside Melbourne become an honorary member of Cricket Vanuatu?

It all started with a vacation for Peter Duffy’s family in 2016.

Meanwhile, Duffy came across a net in the village of Mele and saw two men walking towards him with a synthetic wicket wrapped around their shoulders.

“Until then, I didn’t even realize they were playing cricket in Vanuatu,” Duffy says.

After chasing a wild pig from the nets, the men rolled the wicket onto a “pretty rough” concrete base.

Then the local women’s team appeared to practice.

“They were playing pretty much barefoot – the batter had to wear shoes,” Duffy said. “But you could see they were talented.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

How will the Broncos fill the final spot on the roster?

Special NRL transfer market: line-ups, re-signings and latest movements of players in each club.

Reece Walsh (Warriors) is the only marquee player the Broncos have added to their roster for next season. Also signed Jock Madden (Tigers), while Jesse Arthars (Warriors) returns from loan. Billy Walters’ new two-year contract has yet to be officially announced, which will leave the Broncos with one remaining spot.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

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