THE X-rated messages sent by Australia cricket captain Tim Paine to a female colleague have been revealed.

The scandal saw Paine, who has been married to his wife Bonnie since 2016, step down from his role as captain just 19 days before he was due to lead his country against England in the Ashes Down Under.

And the explicit texts that have landed him in hot water have now been exposed – some of which are too raunchy to publish.

Along with a photo of his genitals, Paine made references to performing sex acts, with one message reading: "Will you want to taste my d***?? F*** me, I'm seriously hard."

Another added: "Need to ease the tension … Finish me off with those lips then ;)" followed by the unwanted photo of his genitals."

The messages were sent on November 22 and 23, 2017, the day before and morning of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Paine and the woman – who was an employee of Cricket Tasmania – are said to have met through playing state cricket.

The woman sent letter of complaint to Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania in 2018.

She also wrote to the Australian Human Rights Commission about the issue.

She said she was offended by 'Mr Paine's sexually explicit, unwelcome and unsolicited' picture of his genitals.

Paine's wife Bonnie is said to have known about the messages and Cricket Australia were reportedly made aware of them shortly after he became captain in 2018.

In a press conference confirming his resignation today, a tearful Paine said: "Today I'm announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian Men's Test team.

"It's an incredibly difficult decision but the right one for me, my family and cricket.

"As a background on my decision, nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague.

"At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation, throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in.

"Although exonerated, I deeply regretted this incident at the time, and still do today. I spoke to my wife and family at the time and am enormously grateful for their forgiveness and support.

"We thought this incident was behind us and that I could focus entirely on the team, as I have done for the last three or four years.

"However, I recently became aware that this private text exchange was going to become public. On reflection, my actions in 2017 do not meet the standard of an Australian cricket captain, or the wider community.

"I'm deeply sorry for the hurt and pain that I have caused to my wife, my family, and to the other party. I'm sorry for any damage that this does to the reputation of our sport.

"And I believe that it is the right decision for me to stand down as captain, effective immediately. I do not want this to become an unwelcome disruption to the team ahead of what is a huge Ashes series.

"I've been blessed with a wonderful, loving and supportive family, and it breaks my heart to know how much I've let them down. They have always stood by me, been my most loyal fans, and I'm indebted to them for their support."

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