A fresh dispute has emerged in Australian cricket after captain Pat Cummins rejected former opener Usman Khawaja’s claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, commonly known as Sandpapergate. Cummins called Khawaja’s account “100 percent wrong”, while former Australia opener David Warner accused the captain of throwing Khawaja “under the bus”.

The controversy has returned to the spotlight following the release of Khawaja’s autobiography. In the book, the retired cricketer revisits the scandal that damaged Australian cricket during the 2018 tour of South Africa.

Khawaja Claims the Entire Team Knew

Khawaja alleged that the whole Australian team, including Cummins, knew about the plan to use sandpaper to rough up the ball and help it swing.

The scandal became public during the third Test in Cape Town. However, Khawaja also claimed that the tactic had been used during the second Test in Port Elizabeth.

Cricket Australia’s investigation at the time concluded that only Warner, then-captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft knew about the plan. All three were sent home from the tour and received bans.

Smith was removed as captain, while Tim Paine later took over the leadership before Cummins became Australia’s captain.

Cummins Rejects the Allegations

Speaking at a press conference, Cummins strongly rejected Khawaja’s suggestion that the entire team knew sandpaper was being taken onto the field.

He said he had consistently denied knowing about the plan over the past eight years. Cummins also rejected the more serious allegation that he and other players were involved in organising the ball-tampering scheme.

The Australia captain described those claims as completely false.

Cummins also criticised the way Khawaja had presented the allegations in his autobiography. He said Khawaja was a friend but argued that such claims could affect the lives and reputations of several people.

He added that he did not remember Khawaja addressing the dressing room after the Cape Town Test to encourage the team to accept collective responsibility.

David Warner Supports Khawaja

Warner has publicly backed Khawaja’s version of events and criticised Cummins’ response.

Speaking during television commentary ahead of Australia’s one-day match against England, Warner said he stood by Khawaja and believed the account in his book was true.

He also expressed disappointment with Cummins, accusing the Australia captain of throwing Khawaja under the bus.

Warner further said he would not let the matter rest until the truth was made public.

The disagreement has brought renewed attention to the different accounts of what happened inside the Australian dressing room during the 2018 scandal.

Former Team Officials Also Reject Claims

Other members of the Australian setup have also responded to Khawaja’s allegations.

Darren Lehmann, who was the head coach during the 2018 tour, has denied knowing about the ball-tampering plan. Former batting coach Graeme Hick also rejected the claims, describing them as false.

Mitchell Starc reiterated that he and the other bowlers were unaware of anything being taken onto the field for the purpose of ball tampering.

Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon had also publicly denied knowing about the plan in a joint statement in 2021.

Cricket Australia Will Not Reopen Investigation

Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening its investigation into the 2018 incident. Chairman David Boon also assured Cummins that his position as captain was safe.

Cummins acknowledged that Australia’s team culture around 2018 had sometimes reflected an unhealthy win-at-all-costs mentality. He said the way players spoke to umpires and opponents was not always acceptable.

However, he believes the team’s culture has improved significantly since then. Cummins added that maintaining respectful behaviour has been an important part of his leadership.

Khawaja’s autobiography has now reopened a debate that Australian cricket had largely moved past. With Warner supporting his former teammate and Cummins firmly rejecting the allegations, the differing accounts have once again placed the 2018 scandal in the spotlight.

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