Australia captain Pat Cummins said he plans to address Usman Khawaja’s “long list of allegations” about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal on Friday. He said he had taken time to “better understand” the claims before responding.
Pressure has been building on Cummins to speak publicly since the retired Khawaja revived the “Sandpapergate” episode last weekend, ahead of the release of his autobiography.
Khawaja claims the whole team knew of the plot
In the book, Khawaja alleges that the entire squad, including Cummins, knew about the plan to rough up the ball with sandpaper to make it swing. He said the plot was carried out during the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town eight years ago. He also claimed the tactic was used in the second Test at Port Elizabeth.
A Cricket Australia investigation concluded that only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were aware of the scheme. All three were sent home in disgrace and later banned. Cummins and fellow bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon publicly denied in 2021 that they had known about the plan.
Cummins said he would give his account on Friday. “Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week,” he said on social media. He added that he had taken time “to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy’s allegations so I can respond properly.”
Bowlers and former staff push back on claims
Starc reiterated his position on Wednesday. He said he could not speak for the other bowlers, but that his view had not changed from the 2021 statement. “As far as our statement said, we weren’t aware of things being taken on the field, that’s where I’ll leave it,” he told reporters.
Mitchell Marsh, another member of the squad implicated in the scandal and now captain of the white-ball team, said he had “moved on”. He was questioned about 2018 in Perth, ahead of Australia’s one-day series against England on Friday. “I respect that certain people have told their stories. I’m not here to share mine today,” he said.
Warner has strongly backed his close friend Khawaja’s claim that everyone knew. Darren Lehmann, who was head coach at the time, denied having any knowledge of the plan. Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick, who was on the South Africa tour, also rejected the allegations. In an interview with a Sydney newspaper, he described them as “absolutely false”.
Hick said he had not heard or known anything about any ball-tampering discussions in Port Elizabeth or Cape Town. Smith and Bancroft have so far remained silent.
Cricket Australia rules out reopening probe
The governing body has ruled out reopening its investigation. Cricket Australia chairman David Boon assured Cummins that his job was safe regardless of the outcome of the debate. “We absolutely support Pat,” Boon told an Australian newspaper, adding that the team needed to look forward rather than back.
Boon also said he respected Khawaja’s recollections, but did not want the matter to become a contest of accounts. “We don’t want to get into a he-said-she-said argument,” he said. He noted that other players did not recall the events the same way, and said he saw no purpose in pursuing it further.
