Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected claims made by former team-mate Usman Khawaja, describing assertions that the entire team knew about ball-tampering during the 2018 tour of South Africa as complete nonsense. Speaking at a self-called press conference in Sydney that lasted over an hour on Friday morning, Cummins denied any prior knowledge of the sandpaper scheme and refuted accusations that he played a role in orchestrating it.
Cummins Responds to Khawaja’s Autobiography
The controversy re-emerged following the release of Khawaja’s autobiography, titled Sabr, earlier this week. In the book, Khawaja claimed that the whole Australian squad was aware of the ball-tampering plan in Cape Town eight years ago, which originally resulted in bans for Cameron Bancroft, then-captain Steve Smith, and vice-captain David Warner. Khawaja also wrote that Australia experimented with lifting the seam on the ball during the 2017-18 Ashes series against England.
Cummins, who called the news conference on social media while being rested from Australia’s white-ball tour against England, insisted on answering every question so the topic would not resurface with future book releases. When a cricket administrator suggested ending the session after an hour, Cummins requested to continue for another ten minutes until all inquiries were addressed.
“When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100 per cent wrong. I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years,” Cummins said. “I did not know that was happening, but Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that.”
Cummins added: “He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense.”
Addressing his personal relationship with his former team-mate, Cummins stated that Khawaja had been careless regarding the standing of those involved. “Usman’s a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations,” Cummins said. “In his book, Ussie has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket.”
Cummins also disclosed that a video filmed a day earlier showing a heated conversation with his wife Becky was prompted by her anger over Khawaja’s claims. Despite receiving advice that the statements in the book were likely defamatory, Cummins confirmed he would not take legal action.
“I did get advised this week that some of the things that’ve been said are probably defamatory, but I won’t be doing that,” Cummins said. “You’ve got to move on. It’s been eight years. We’re moving on. So you got to draw a line at some point.”
Warner Backs Book while Starc Reaffirms Position
Following the publication of the book, David Warner backed Khawaja’s account during an interview with Fox Sports, describing the claims as completely accurate and expressing disappointment with Cummins’ response.
“I actually feel that [Cummins] today threw Uzzy under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that,” Warner said. Warner, who received a one-year playing ban and a lifetime leadership ban following the 2018 incident, reflected on the ongoing personal impact on those involved.
“Yes, we accepted it, but at the end of the day, my wife and I paid the greatest price. We lost a baby during that time. That’s why it really hurts me the most until the truth is accepted,” Warner added.
Other members of the 2018 squad also addressed the situation. Fast bowler Mitchell Starc reiterated the position taken in a joint 2021 statement with Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. Starc explained that his memory of events had not changed since the statement was issued and maintained that the bowlers only learned of the foreign substance when it appeared on the stadium screen in Cape Town. Meanwhile, Australia ODI captain Mitchell Marsh declined to answer questions regarding Khawaja’s book ahead of the opening match against England in Perth.
