"Everyone Knew": Former Australia Pacer Contradicts Pat Cummins In Sandpapergate Row

Former Australia Test pacer Chadd Sayers has backed Usman Khawaja's claims about the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, contradicting assertions by Australia captain Pat Cummins that players were unaware of the ball-tampering plot. Sayers was part of Australia's tour of South Africa in 2018 but did not feature in the third Test in Cape Town, where sandpaper was used to alter the condition of the ball. A Cricket Australia (CA) investigation concluded that only then-captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were aware of the plan. All three were sent home and handed lengthy suspensions.

However, Khawaja alleged in his autobiography Sabr that the entire Australian team knew about the ball-tampering operation, a claim that has since been strongly supported by Warner and now Sayers.

"I believe that everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used," the retired Sayers, who played in the fourth Test in Johannesburg, told SEN Radio.

Khawaja also claimed that sandpaper had been used during the second Test in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha), with Sayers revealing that he was the player who removed it from the field.

"It (sandpaper) was given to me to take off, so that wasn't planned or anything. I was just the player who took the drinks out at the time," he said.

"It was used in two Test matches and there were discussions in the change room about how we were going to get the ball to reverse swing and what was going to be used."

Cummins, now Australia's Test captain, strongly rejected Khawaja's allegations during a lengthy press conference on Friday, describing them as "100 per cent wrong".

Australia's core bowling group of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Cummins publicly stated in 2021 that they had no knowledge of the plan to tamper with the ball.

Cricket Australia has also ruled out reopening its investigation into the scandal.

Warner further escalated the debate on Saturday by accusing the governing body of engaging in a "cover-up", claiming that, "as far as he knew", Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon had not been interviewed during the original investigation.

"If that's correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn't know?" Warner said.

However, after multiple media reports stated that the bowlers had in fact been interviewed, Warner issued a clarification on Instagram on Sunday.

"Just to clarify, 'as far as I am aware' was the point," Warner wrote.

"I was never told the bowlers had been interviewed or provided statements. That information would've been pretty useful when I was forced to make decisions back in 2018."

"Why weren't we given all the evidence by CA?" he added.

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

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