Cummins rejects Khawaja's sandpaper scandal claims as 'complete and utter nonsense'

Australia's Test cricket captain Pat Cummins on Friday described as "complete and utter nonsense" claims by his former teammate, batter Usman Khawaja, about the 2018 sandpaper scandal. Speaking in Sydney, it was his first public comment since the release of Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr: Finding My Way in Cricket and Life. This week the chief executive of Cricket Australia, the sport's national governing body, said there was no compelling reason to reopen its original investigation.

What happened in 2018

During the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, Australian opening batter Cameron Bancroft was caught on TV using sandpaper on the cricket ball. An investigation found the tampering was planned by then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner. Both, along with Bancroft, received bans from international and domestic cricket.

Khawaja alleges in his book that sandpaper use was widespread, that tampering took place earlier in the series at Port Elizabeth, and that the entire team knew about it.

Cummins' response

Cummins said he was "genuinely shocked". He stressed that he had said consistently for eight years that he did not know sandpaper was being taken onto the field, and he rejected the suggestion that he and others were architects of a scheme. He said there was no "master plan" for illegal methods, no team meeting and no bowlers' instructions. On the field, he said, he saw nothing unusual on the ball, noting that balls get roughened during play anyway, so the cause is not always clear.

He allowed that there may have been conversations with Bancroft about taking sandpaper out, but said that did not mean everyone in the dressing room knew. Cummins also said the issue seemed to have been "sitting heavy" on Khawaja, yet called the claims irresponsible and said the episode had been traumatic for some people involved.

Earlier this week, pace bowler Mitchell Starc also denied knowing sandpaper had been taken onto the field, saying he had not read the book.