David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of a cover-up regarding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, claiming that bowlers from the Cape Town Test match were never interviewed during the initial inquiry.
Reopened Discussions and Allegations
The controversy surrounding the ball-tampering scandal has resurfaced following explosive claims in Usman Khawaja’s new autobiography, where the batter stated that the entire Australian team knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball. Warner questioned the integrity of the 2018 investigation, pointing out that fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc alongside spinner Nathan Lyon were bypassed by investigators.
“As far as l am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation,” Warner said.
“If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn’t know?
“It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning, ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea.
“That stinks of a cover-up.”
Responses from Captain and Cricket Australia
Hazlewood, Starc, Lyon, and Test captain Pat Cummins have consistently maintained they had no knowledge of the plan to use sandpaper. Cummins stated during a news conference that he was personally interviewed during the investigation, while calling suggestions that the entire team knew about the cheating scheme “100% wrong” and “utter nonsense.”
Responding to Warner’s remarks, Cricket Australia stated that all players were given the opportunity to speak during the initial inquiry and have had the chance to present new evidence over the past eight years, adding that the organization has respected every player’s right to share their perspective.
Warner, who served a lengthy ban alongside Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft following the 2018 series in South Africa, defended Khawaja after his book release. Khawaja revealed that he too was not interviewed despite sitting next to Bancroft in the dressing room.
Following Cummins’ comments, Warner expressed support for his former batting partner, stating that the captain threw Khawaja under the bus and reiterating his belief that the inquiry was botched. Cricket Australia has announced it will not reopen the investigation.
