Cricket Australia chief says no reason to reopen probe over sandpaper-gate controversy

FILE PHOTO: Usman Khawaja’s latest revelations have reopened the discussions on the sandpaper-gate controversy during Australia tour of South Africa in 2018. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg on Tuesday ruled out reopening the investigation into the sandpaper-gate ball-tampering scandal, saying he did not see “any compelling reason” for a new probe.

Opening batter Usman Khawaja said in his autobiography that the 2018 plot had been common knowledge throughout the team and not limited to a small number of players.

The book, released on Tuesday, has reignited the debate over the cheating controversy, in which Australian players were caught using sandpaper to make the ball swing against South Africa.

Also read | ‘100 per cent accurate’: Warner backs Usman Khawaja’s recent sandpaper gate revelations

Greenberg told local radio station SEN that players had “very different views” to Khawaja’s version of events.

“There are ‌specific details in his book that contradict the versions that have been provided by others,” Greenberg said.

“But we have said we’re comfortable with the ‌outcome of the investigation based on the information we’ve received.

“That includes what ‌we’ve ⁠seen from Usman, and our position hasn’t changed on that. We don’t ⁠see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again, I don’t think there’s anything that can be gained from that.”

Former CA CEO James Sutherland, who was in charge of the governing body during the incident, declined to comment on Tuesday.

Bancroft, who played his last international in 2019, declined to comment to Australian media on Monday.

He had said in a 2021 interview with The Guardian that it was “self-explanatory” that teammates apart from Smith and Warner were aware of the ‌ball-tampering plan.

Captain Steve Smith, his deputy Warner and Bancroft were sent home in disgrace after the ball tampering was exposed.

A Cricket Australia investigation found they were the only three players with prior knowledge of the plot.

But Khawaja, who retired this year after 88 Tests, tells a different story in a chapter dedicated to the scandal in his book “Sabr”.