Cummins dismisses Khawaja's sandpaper claims as 'utter nonsense'

Usman Khawaja said in new book 'Sabr' that every Australia player was aware of ball-tampering scheme in Cape Town in 2018; current Test captain Pat Cummins, who played in the match, reiterated his denial of involvement and dismissed Khawaja's claims as "utter nonsense"

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins dismissed his former team-mate Usman Khawaja's claims as "utter nonsense" after the recently retired batter said in his autobiography that the whole side were aware of ball-tampering that took place on their 2018 tour of South Africa.

Khawaja made the revelations in his new book 'Sabr', which was released earlier this week, bringing the scandal back onto the agenda eight years after Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper on the ball while Australia were fielding.

Only Bancroft, then-captain Steve Smith and his vice-captain David Warner were punished, with each receiving lengthy bans as the rest of the Australian team and coaching staff denied knowledge of the scheme.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Cummins, who was a relatively junior member of the side playing in just his 13th Test match, in 2021 issued a joint-statement with fellow bowlers from the fixture Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, in which they denied knowing that a foreign substance had been taken onto the field to alter the ball in order to try to make it swing.

"When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, ​he's 100 per cent wrong. I've said that consistently for the last eight years," ‌Cummins told reporters on Friday morning in Sydney having called the press conference himself on social media.

"I did not know that was happening, but 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."

Following the publication of the book, Warner, who received a year-long ban from all cricket and a lifetime ban from leadership roles, said on Monday that Khawaja's version of events was "100 per cent accurate" .

Cummins, who was appointed Australia captain in November 2021, criticised Khawaja for being "casual" with the lives of his former team-mates and Australian cricket as a whole.

"Usman's a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and ​reputations," Cummins said.

"In his book, Ussie has been casual with my life and the ​lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket."

Cummins, who appeared to become emotional at times in a press conference that lasted more than an hour, revealed that a video taken of him and his wife Becky in a heated discussion a day earlier had been prompted by her anger with Khawaja's actions.

Despite that and his clear disagreement with Khawaja's statements, Cummins said that he does not intend to pursue legal action.

"I did get advised this week that some of the things ​that've been said are probably defamatory, but I won't be doing that," Cummins said.

"You've got to move on. It's been eight years. We're moving on. So ‌you got to draw a line ​at some point."

Cummins has been rested for England's white-ball tour of Australia, which resulted in him holding his press conference on Friday morning in Sydney just hours before the first ODI was scheduled to begin in Perth.

Cummins' extraordinary press conference came a day after Australia ODI captain Mitchell Marsh, who was also part of the team that toured South Africa in 2018, declined to comment on a series of questions about Khawaja's book.

Khawaja also claimed in the book that Australia experimented with lifting the seam on the ball during the 2017-18 Ashes at home to England, which they won 4-0 under the captaincy of Smith.

Starc, who had spoken to reporters on Tuesday, took a similar line to Cummins as he insisted that his recollections hadn't changed.

Starc, who is also not part of Australia's limited-overs side to face England, said of Khawaja's claims: "I haven't really paid much attention to it to be fair.

"There are differing opinions of eight years ago. We were heavily grilled through the process, at the time and since.

"I won't speak on behalf of the bowlers but from where I stand my opinion hasn't changed, my recollection hasn't changed from what we said in 2021.

"As far as our statement said, we weren't aware of things being taken on the field. That's where I'll leave it.

"I will be sticking to what I said five years ago, what I said at the time eight years ago, so clearly there are differing versions from different people.

"We weren't aware of anything taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town.

"As far as the book is concerned, I haven't read it. I probably won't read it, so that's for Usman to elaborate on."