The Barmy Army has changed its tune on Tim Paine, declaring it’s now time to “support him” after the former Australian Test captain confirmed he was stepping away from all forms of cricket.
Paine appears likely to miss the entire Ashes series, with manager James Henderson announcing that the 36-year-old would take time away due to his mental health.
“[He] is stepping away from cricket for an indefinite mental health break,” Henderson wrote on Twitter. “We are extremely concerned for his and Bonnie’s well-being and will be making no further comment at this time.”
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The announcement comes a week after Paine’s bombshell resignation as captain, following the leaking of sexually explicit text messages exchanged with a former co-worker back in 2017.
When Paine’s sexting scandal stunned the cricket world, the infamous Barmy Army was quick to jump on the matter and used social media to urge its fans to help deliver some content for the series.
https://twitter.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1462803938957221893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1462803938957221893%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F7news.com.au%2Fsport%2Fcricket%2Fbarmy-army-backflips-on-tim-paine-after-former-australian-test-captain-pulls-out-of-ashes-series-c-4721763https://twitter.com/TheBarmyArmy/status/1463087370484559874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1463087370484559874%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F7news.com.au%2Fsport%2Fcricket%2Fbarmy-army-backflips-on-tim-paine-after-former-australian-test-captain-pulls-out-of-ashes-series-c-4721763
But following the news of Paine’s desire to step away due to mental health reasons, the Barmy Army quickly backflipped on its original stance.
“Good morning England fans,” a Twitter post said.
“We have awoken to the news that Tim Paine is out of the Ashes to look after his mental wellbeing.
“One of our core values is to have fun, in particular with our longstanding rivals Australia. Whilst we’ve had fun with Tim in recent weeks, now is definitely time to support him and we wish him all the best.
“Thanks for your support!”
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