In a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Australia captain Pat Cummins described claims in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography that the entire team knew about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal as complete and utter nonsense.
The retired opening batsman reopened the fallout from the Cape Town Test in his newly released book, alleging that every player in the XI was aware of the plot to alter the ball with sandpaper. A Cricket Australia investigation at the time concluded that only David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were involved in the plan.
“When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he’s 100 percent wrong,” Cummins told reporters, according to BBC reporting.
“I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said, adding that the allegations went further by casting him and his teammates as architects of a tampering scheme. Cummins and fellow bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon previously denied any prior knowledge in a joint statement released in 2021.
Support from Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia chairman David Boon assured Cummins on Thursday that his position as Test captain remains secure despite the renewed scrutiny, according to Dawn. Boon said that the board fully supports the current skipper and retains complete confidence in his integrity.
“We absolutely support Pat,” Boon told the Australian press. “He’s been an exemplary captain, he’s led the team with integrity and very successfully over the period of time that he’s been captain, so there’s no question of our confidence in him continuing on in that fact.”
While Warner publicly backed Khawaja’s new version of events on social media, other figures from the 2018 tour have disputed the claims. Former head coach Darren Lehmann and former batting coach Graeme Hick both denied having any knowledge of ball-tampering during the series against South Africa.
Cummins disputes Khawaja's account of team meetings
Cummins criticized his teammate for making explosive assertions years after the event, arguing that the publication was casual with players’ reputations. He also disputed Khawaja’s account of a dressing room meeting following the Cape Town Test where players were allegedly urged to take collective responsibility.
“I don’t remember any conversation around collective responsibility,” Cummins said. “I don’t remember any team meeting where he stood up and said, ‘Let’s own this as a team’.”
The current captain acknowledged that the Australian team operated under an aggressive win-at-all-costs mentality during that era, which he admitted did not sit well with him as a young player. He said that changing that culture has been a primary focus of his leadership.
Questions regarding the 2018 investigation and player support
Will Cricket Australia reopen the 2018 investigation?
Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening the investigation into the ball-tampering incident. CEO Todd Greenberg stated on Tuesday that there was no compelling reason to revisit the case, a stance reiterated by chairman David Boon.
Which former players back Khawaja’s allegations?
David Warner publicly supported Khawaja’s version of events on Instagram. Retired fast bowler Chadd Sayers, who was part of the 2018 touring squad, also told the Seven Network that the new allegations were accurate.
How have other current players reacted to the book?
White-ball captain Mitchell Marsh declined to share his perspective during a press conference in Perth on Thursday, stating that his focus remained on preparing for the upcoming one-day international series against England. Mitchell Starc reiterated his previous stance that the bowling group had no knowledge of foreign substances taken onto the field.
What did former England captain Nasser Hussain say about the situation?
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Nasser Hussain described the ongoing fallout and the original scandal as a complete mess, noting that heavy sanctions were handed down while questions remained regarding player awareness.