Coach to address ‘sandpapergate’ claims

Australia captain Pat Cummins said he plans to address Usman Khawaja’s “long list of allegations” about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal today after taking time to “better understand” them.

Pressure has been mounting for Cummins to front the media since the retired Khawaja reignited the explosive issue last weekend ahead of the release of his autobiography.

In the book, Khawaja alleges that the whole team, including Cummins, knew about the plot to rough up the ball with sandpaper to make it swing during the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town eight years ago.

Copies of former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja’s autobiography “Sabr” are displayed at a bookstore in Sydney on Wednesday.

Photo: Reuters

He also claimed the tactic was used in the second Test at Port Elizabeth.

A Cricket Australia probe concluded only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were in the know, with all three sent home in disgrace and subsequently banned.

Cummins and fellow bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon all denied publicly in 2021 that they knew about the plan.

Cummins said he would give his version of events today ahead of the latest round of the domestic Sheffield Shield competition.

“Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week,” he said on social media. “I’ve taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy’s allegations so I can respond properly.”

Starc reiterated his stance on Wednesday.

“I guess I won’t speak on behalf of the bowlers, but, where I stand, my opinion hasn’t changed, my recollection hasn’t changed from what we said in 2021,” he said.

The governing body has ruled out reopening their investigation.

Warner has strongly backed close friend Khawaja’s claim that everyone knew, but Darren Lehmann, who was head coach at the time, denied any knowledge.

Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick, who was on the South Africa tour, also rubbished Khawaja’s allegations, calling them “absolutely false” in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Khawaja puts it simply: ‘It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.’ To me what Khawaja is implying here is absolutely false,” former England player Hick said.

Smith and Bancroft have so far remained silent.

Cricket Australia chairman David Boon assured Cummins that his job was safe, regardless.

“We absolutely support Pat,” Boon said, adding that the team needed to look forward, not back.

“I respect [Usman’s] point of view and his recollections of what occurred, and they’re his, but we don’t want to get into a ‘he said, she said’ argument,” he said. “There are going to be supporters, there’s going to be other guys that don’t recollect the same thing, so I don’t see a purpose.”