Australian skipper Pat Cummins broke his silence on the former opener Usman Khawaja’s sandpaper allegations, calling his statements utter nonsense. Notably, Khawaja had claimed that everyone in the Australian team knew of the use of sandpaper in the Newlands Test back in 2018.
Speaking to reporters during a training session at Cricket Central in Sydney, Cummins said that Khawaja was 100 per cent wrong about everyone in the team knowing the sandpaper was going out on the field.
“I have taken some time this week to respond to Usman’s allegations. Have been trying to understand what those allegations have been; that’s why it has taken me a few days (to respond). When he said we all knew, and if he means the sandpaper going out on the field, then he is 100% wrong,” Cummins said.
“I have said that consistently for the last eight years, and I didn’t know that was happening. But Usman is saying things that are far more serious than that; he says others and I, as architects, were behind the scheme to tamper with the ball using sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense. I was utterly shocked this week when it came to my notice that Khawaja had admitted that he told Cam (Cameron Bancroft) to be careful when using sandpaper,” he added.
“That’s not the Usman I know or the Usman who was part of the team that rebuilt Australian cricket culture over the last eight years and would have stopped that from happening. He is a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s life and reputation. In his book, Uzi has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and Australian cricket. Support the right to tell his story, 100%, but we have to be accountable for the things we say and do,” he noted.
Steve Smith, who was captain at that time, and his deputy vice-captain David Warner were banned from professional cricket for one year by Cricket Australia.
