Mitchell Starc Responds To Usman Khawaja's Sandpapergate Claims

Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has responded to former batter Usman Khawaja's recent claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he has not paid much attention to the discussion and maintains the same position he held in 2021, when Australia's pace attack issued a joint statement denying knowledge of any foreign object being used to alter the condition of the ball. The infamous 'Sandpapergate' scandal arose during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018. Then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed one-year bans from competitive cricket, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension after being caught using sandpaper on the ball.

Ahead of the release of his autobiography Sabr, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian setup, including players and support staff, was aware of the ball-tampering operation during the South Africa tour.

The former opener argued that responsibility for the incident should have been shared collectively, challenging Cricket Australia's long-standing position that Smith, Warner and Bancroft were the only individuals directly implicated.

In his book, Khawaja reportedly claimed that sandpaper had also been used during the second Test in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) before Australia were exposed during the Cape Town Test.

Speaking to reporters at an event on Tuesday, Starc said he had largely stayed away from the debate.

"I have not really paid much attention, to be fair," Starc said, as quoted by Fox Sports.

"Obviously there are differing opinions about what happened eight years ago. We were heavily drilled through the process at the time and since. I would not speak on behalf of the bowlers, but where I stand, my opinion has not changed. My recollection has not changed from what we said in 2021."

Responding to Khawaja's claim regarding alleged ball-tampering during the Test in Gqeberha, Starc said he was unaware of any such incident.

"Yeah, that is the first I was aware of any of that taking place in PE (Port Elizabeth). I'll leave that for said authors to explain," he said.

Starc reiterated that his stance remains consistent with the statement issued by Australia's bowlers in 2021.

"As our statement said, we were not aware of things being taken onto the field. That's where I'll leave it," he added.

Khawaja's comments have reignited debate around one of the biggest controversies in Australian cricket history, with the former batter continuing to argue that Smith, Warner and Bancroft should not have carried the burden of the scandal alone.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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