'As an Australian player's wife, it's concerning' - Candice Warner opens up on Tim Paine scandal

David Warner’s wife Candice has opened up about Tim Paine’s off-field scandal, which led to his stepping down from the position of Australia’s Test captain.

She reckoned Cricket Australia (CA) is having double standards on the entire episode, as they are conveying a message that it is not acceptable for an Australian captain to commit Paine’s act, but “it’s okay” for an Australian player to indulge in such activity.

Paine announced his decision to step as the captain in an emotional press conference in Hobart last week after inappropriate messages sent by him to a Cricket Tasmania staffer from 2017 came to light.

“They’re (CA) basically saying that it’s not okay for an Australian cricket captain to send these messages, but it’s okay for an Australian player,” Warner told 2GB radio. “As a wife of an Australian player, that is slightly concerning and it does make me worry.”

Notably, Paine was previously investigated by CA over the entire episode in 2018 but was found to have “not breached the code of conduct”, while he was appointed as the Test captain following the Newlands Sandpaper gate scandal in South Africa.

Meanwhile, after Paine’s exit, Australia have a task at hand to name the new skipper before the home Ashes in December. As for Paine, he has kept himself available for the series as a player. Cricket Australia has not made any official announcement just yet, with Pat Cummins and Steve Smith being the frontrunner to take the job.

“They’re (Australian Test team) really focused on the first game,” Warner said. “I think there are reports that the players are getting around and supporting him [Paine], but it’s also about supporting his family through a really difficult situation.”

If Paine does get to feature in Australia’s Ashes XI, he will undoubtedly be welcomed by the Barmy Army. “I don’t know how Tim Paine will handle it (the Barmy Army), or if he will have to handle it,” Warner said.

“But in regard to David and myself, you’ve got to look at it in a certain way. I know David looks at it as ‘if they’re singing about me (David), they’re worried about me. So, David uses it as fuel to fire him up and get going. “It is how you want to take it. It can affect people,” she added.