Australian captain Pat Cummins addressed the media about the entire sandpaper saga being reignited. The move came about after Usman Khawaja made damning revelations in his book Sabr that the entire Australian team knew about the incident.

“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.”

He then added, “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.”

“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.”

What next for Australian cricket

Mitchell Starc has already come out and stood by the statement that he had made five years ago. The left-arm seamer in 2021 had said that none of the bowlers knew about the sandpaper saga.

The pacer had said, “I haven’t paid much attention to it so far, to be honest. There are differing opinions about incidents that happened eight years ago. The team was heavily grilled, and it hasn’t stopped since then. I wouldn’t want to speak on behalf of other bowlers, but my statement doesn’t change from the one made in 2021.”

Australia are scheduled to play New Zealand in the upcoming four-match Test series starting on 9th December. The latest controversy regarding Usman Khawaja’s book could act as a dampener heading into the massive series.