Australia cricket captain describes Khawaja’s Sandpapergate claim as ‘utter nonsense’

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia captain Pat Cummins has described as “utter nonsense” claims from ex-teammate Usman Khawaja that he knew about using sandpaper to tamper with a ball in a 2018 cheating scandal that rocked cricket.

Cummins held an extraordinary news conference Friday to address allegations made in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, published this week, hours ahead Australia’s home-season opening one-day international against England in Perth.

Khawaja has said he published his account that the whole team knew of the plot in a bid to support the three players who received unprecedented and lengthy bans from the sport arising from the so-called Sandpapergate scandal.

He’s had support from one them — his longtime friend and fellow top-order batter David Warner, who posted on social media that the Cricket Australia investigation at the time was rushed and botched.

Cummins, who was part of bowling attack in that test at Cape Town against South Africa, rejected it and accused Khawaja of being “casual” and “flippant” with his claims.

“When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100% wrong,” Cummins told a packed news conference in Sydney. “I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening.

“But I think Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that. He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper.

“That’s complete and utter nonsense.”

Cummins said he was prepared to answer questions all day if required, because he didn’t want the topic to be dredged up again every time a book was published or another claim made.

After an hour, a cricket administrator suggested the news conference wind down, but Cummins again invited all questions to continue for as long as needed.

Steve Smith and Warner — the captain and vice-captain in that series eight years ago — were each banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia following an investigation into the cheating plot.

Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on TV footage using sandpaper on the ball during the test match, was banned for nine months.

Cricket Australia, team management and other players have rarely commented on the saga. The bowling group has rejected claims that everyone was in on the plot to use sandpaper to help make the ball “reverse” — or swing unconventionally through the air.

But in his autobiography, Khawaja said he was sitting beside Bancroft in the locker rooms at one stage and learned of a plot to tamper with the ball and urged caution.

Cummins on Friday turned the scenario back on Khawaja, who retired from the test team earlier this year.

“I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam to be careful when using sandpaper,” he said.

“That’s not the Usman that I know. It’s not the Usman that I think has been part of a team that’s helped rebuild the Australian cricket culture over the last eight years,” he said. “And the one that would have stopped that from happening there and then.”

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