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Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has flatly rejected claims made by former teammate Usman Khawaja in his autobiography that the entire squad knew about the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering plot. At a press conference in Sydney on Friday that lasted 68 minutes, Cummins described the assertions as 100 per cent wrong. Cummins said, “When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he’s 100% wrong. I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening.” He added that the suggestion he and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper was complete and utter nonsense.
The memoir Sabr, released last week, has prompted David Warner to declare the claims 100 per cent accurate while criticising Cricket Australia’s original investigation as rushed and botched, according to reports in The Guardian. In the Cape Town Test that year, Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to roughen the ball in a bid to generate reverse swing during the series against South Africa. Steve Smith and David Warner, the captain and vice-captain, admitted their involvement in the scheme and received 12-month bans, with Bancroft handed a nine-month suspension. Cricket Australia found that the bowling attack including Cummins had no prior knowledge of the plot.
Cummins, who was 24 at the time, insisted there was no masterplan or team discussion about using illegal methods. He told reporters that while various tampering techniques were talked about in change rooms, including the use of sandpaper for practice, taking it onto the field was a different matter, as detailed in coverage by ESPNcricinfo. The captain also described the original punishments as way too heavy-handed but said suggesting the rest of the team were architects represented a huge extrapolation.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has ruled out reopening the investigation, stating there was no compelling reason to do so. In comments to SEN radio earlier this week, Greenberg said the board was comfortable with the outcome based on all information received, including from Khawaja. He noted that players had eight years to come forward and that differing accounts were unlikely to produce new insights.
The scandal’s return has stirred strong emotions in Australia, where cricket carries significant cultural weight as a symbol of fair play. Sociologist David Rowe of Western Sydney University told the BBC that the episode remains painful because the country prides itself on being a nation of good sports who win honourably. Then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull had described the 2018 events as a disgrace that delivered a bitter blow to national pride. An independent review at the time found the team’s culture was arrogant and contributed to the incident.
Since the scandal, Australian cricket has undergone reforms to address a win-at-all-costs culture, with domestic matches showing reduced reverse swing and sledging according to a 2023 ESPNcricinfo analysis. Cummins said the team had worked to eradicate negative traits like an ugly underbelly over the past six years of his captaincy. The latest controversy comes after a lacklustre performance in South Africa last month, the first Test tour there since the original incident.
Cummins indicated he had grappled with the personal aspect of the claims from a longtime friend and teammate with whom he played 56 Tests. He stated that friends are not casual with each other’s lives and reputations. The 68-minute session concluded with Cummins saying he did not want to discuss the matter again after addressing every question.
