The Price Paid

Tim Paine was the golden child of Australian cricket. Affectionately dubbed 'The Kid' by fans, Paine was the youngest-ever contracted player in Australia at 16 years old. The wicketkeeper-batsman rose to the captain's chair as the cleanskin new leadership after the furore of the ball-tampering incident in South Africa. Paine's three-year turn at Test captaincy was turbulent on the pitch, with a slew of narrow wins and close, tough results. Then, in November 2021, a sexting scandal saw him step d