Australia former captain Tim Paine takes indefinite mental health break from cricket
Melbourne, Nov 26: Former Australia Test cricket captain Tim Paine is set to miss the first Ashes Test and is taking an indefinite mental health break from the game.
The news comes a week after Paine tearfully quit as captain after revelations of a scandal involving the sending of inappropriate texts to a female co-worker in 2017.
Cricket Australia said on Friday that Paine advised them he would be "stepping away from cricket for a period of time."
"We recognise that this is an incredibly difficult time for Tim and his family and are committed to supporting them," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.
"We respect and understand Tim's decision to have a break at this time to focus on his and his family's well-being."
Paine's teammates were hoping for the wicketkeeper to play on December 8 his 37th birthday when Australia's five-test series against England begins in Brisbane. As of Thursday, the veteran was scheduled to join the test squad this weekend.
Paine was called up and set to bat in Tasmania's one-day match against Western Australia on Friday, giving him a chance to play five consecutive days of cricket after a low-key return via the state's second XI.
But Cricket Tasmania (CT) said Friday that Paine would not take his spot in the side.
"Following discussions over the last 24 hours, Tim Paine has advised Cricket Tasmania that he will be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket for the foreseeable future," CT said in a statement.
"Cricket Tasmania will continue to support Tim and his family both professionally and personally over the summer."
Likely wicketkeeper replacements for Paine in the test side are Alex Carey or Josh Inglis.
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24,000 quintals of worm-infested jowar worth Rs 6 crore found in Ballari
Ballari: A shocking discovery has come to light in Ballari, where nearly 24,000 quintals of jowar, valued at Rs 6 crore, were reportedly found infested with worms in a godown managed by the Karnataka State Warehousing Corporation (KSWC).
The contaminated grain was distributed to fair price shops in and around the district, as reported by The New Indian Express on Saturday.
The issue was exposed when Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa visited the KSWC's Unit-2 godown. During the inspection, he found that 48,000 bags of jowar, each weighing 50 kg, had become unsuitable for consumption due to worm infestation.
When Justice Veerappa, deputy registrar Aravind NV and others questioned about the condition of the grain, Sharavathi, the manager of the Ballari unit of KSWC, and Sakina, the deputy director of Food and Civil Supplies, explained that they obtained a certificate from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on March 29, 2024, that “jowar is fit” for consumption, TNIE added. The grain had subsequently been sent to Haveri and other districts for distribution through fair price shops.
However, Justice Veerappa pointed out that the jowar was not even fit for animals to consume. Expressing his displeasure, he stated that negligence by officials had resulted in the wastage of 48,000 bags of jowar.
Meanwhile, Sharavathi reportedly questioned Justice Veerappa's visit to the godown, asking him to provide photographic evidence linked to GPS for confirmation. This demand left him enraged, as he remarked, "This shows they have reached a stage of even questioning us."
Justice Veerappa called the situation "unfortunate" and urged the concerned minister to take immediate action against the officials involved. He emphasised that taxpayers' money had been used to procure the jowar, and its wastage was unacceptable. "We will definitely take action under the Karnataka Lokayukta Act," he vowed.
