David Warner slams Pat Cummins over Khawaja row: ‘Threw Uzzy under the bus’

David Warner accused Australia captain Pat Cummins of throwing Usman Khawaja “under the bus” after the latter’s account of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal was publicly rejected by the fast bowler.

Warner, who has backed Khawaja’s version of events, expressed disappointment with Cummins’ response to the allegations, describing it as unfair to his former teammate. Speaking to Fox Sports on the sidelines of the first ODI between Australia and England in Perth on Friday, the former opener said he continued to stand by what Khawaja had written in his book.

“I still stick by Uzzy and what he’s written in that book, because it is the truth, and I really, really support him,” Warner said.

“I actually feel for him at the moment. I actually feel that today, the captain threw Uzzy under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that.”

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Earlier on Friday, Cummins had dismissed Khawaja’s suggestion that the entire Australian team was aware of the use of sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in March 2018. The Australian skipper described the claim as “complete and utter nonsense” during a 69-minute media interaction on Friday.

Warner said the three players who faced sanctions continued to bear the consequences of the scandal, even eight years after the incident. He also questioned whether the personal cost suffered by them had been adequately acknowledged.

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“All three of us have paid a big price in this thing. I hadn’t spoken about it in eight years, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to live with these consequences daily,” he said.

“We’ve been served a life punishment. When other people talk about [how] they’ve been affected by it, there’s nothing worse for me, Steve and Cam, who have to walk out there every day and we cop abuse.”

Warner also spoke about the impact the episode had on his family, revealing that he and his wife had suffered the loss of a baby during that difficult period. He said the experience remained particularly painful for him.

“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 said.

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While Warner has publicly endorsed Khawaja’s account, other members of the Australian side have maintained their positions. Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh have not changed their stance, while Smith and Bancroft have yet to comment publicly on the latest exchange.

Cummins also rejected Khawaja’s suggestion that race influenced the choice of Australian captain, saying the allegation required evidence. He described the suspensions handed to Smith, Warner and Bancroft as excessive but maintained that this did not establish that the rest of the team was involved.