Australia captain Pat Cummins has firmly rejected claims by former teammate Usman Khawaja that the entire national team was aware of the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering scandal. In a media conference in Sydney, Cummins described Khawaja’s allegations as “100% wrong” and “utter nonsense,” insisting he had no knowledge of the scheme involving Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.
Khawaja’s claims appeared in his newly published autobiography, where he asserted that the whole team knew about the plot to tamper with the ball during the Test match in Cape Town against South Africa. He also suggested that the Australia squad should have taken collective responsibility for the incident. Cummins, who played alongside Khawaja in 56 Tests until the batter retired earlier this year, dismissed those assertions outright.
“When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he’s 100% wrong,” Cummins said. “I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense.”
Cummins acknowledged his friendship with Khawaja but criticised the former batsman for what he called careless handling of reputations. “Usman is a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations,” he said. “In his book he’s been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and, I think, Australian cricket. I support him to tell his story, 100%, I’m glad he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.”
The captain took questions for just over an hour, covering a wide range of topics linked to the scandal and its aftermath. He confirmed he had been in contact with Khawaja and Smith since the book’s release but not with Warner. Cummins also said he believes the bans handed to Smith and Warner, one year each, and to Bancroft, who received a nine-month suspension, were “heavy handed.”
Addressing suggestions that ball tampering might have occurred during the 2017-18 Ashes series against England, Cummins said he had no recollection of any such incident. He also explained why sandpaper might have been present in the dressing room, noting that it is sometimes used in training to practise with reverse-swinging balls.
Cummins has met with Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg, who reviewed the original investigation files after Khawaja’s allegations surfaced. While Cummins declined to break confidence, he said Greenberg found the investigation’s accounts consistent and confirmed there was no plan involving the entire team.
“There was no masterplan around using illegal methods,” Cummins said. “People assume you’ve gone from very legal methods to suddenly taking sandpaper, and there must have been some huge masterplan. That is not the case. There’s no grand plan. There’s no team meeting. There’s no bowlers saying this is what must happen.”
Khawaja’s book also pointed out that he was not interviewed during the investigation, despite sitting next to Bancroft in the changing rooms during that Newlands Test. Khawaja and Warner have criticised the original inquiry, but Greenberg has stated he will not reopen the investigation.
Other former players have rejected Khawaja’s claims. Darren Lehmann, Australia’s head coach at the time, along with assistant coach Graeme Hick and bowler Mitchell Starc, have denied the allegations. Starc, Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, Australia’s bowling attack in Cape Town and still the first-choice bowlers, have consistently denied any knowledge of the tampering.
Cummins said he does not recall any discussion about the team sharing responsibility for the incident or anyone rejecting such a proposal. “There’s big leaps where Usman is being vague,” he added.
The 33-year-old fast bowler has played 77 Tests and captained Australia since 2021. He said he had witnessed only one instance of ball tampering in his career, which occurred during a domestic Sheffield Shield match when a player brought a bottle top onto the field. He admitted that balls can occasionally be altered during training for practice purposes, sometimes using sandpaper or even a Stanley knife.
When asked whether bowlers would have suspected the ball had been tampered with during the Cape Town Test, Cummins explained that bowlers often touch the ball as little as possible to keep it dry and maintain conditions for reverse swing. At the time of the scandal, Cummins was 24 years old and in his 13th Test.
The renewed debate over the 2018 scandal, reignited by Khawaja’s book, has dominated Australian media and drawn attention worldwide. The controversy continues to provoke discussion about cricket’s culture and the reputations of those involved.
According to BBC Sports.
