With each and every passing day, the revelations made by Usman Khawaja about the sandpaper saga in his book Sabr take a new turn. The last few days have seen plenty of action take place, with various voices speaking about the incident. Chadd Sayers, who was part of the squad that went to South Africa in 2018, also opined on the ongoing controversy.

Sayers backed the claims made by his former teammate ahead of the second Australia vs England ODI on Sunday at the Adelaide Oval. Speaking to SEN Cricket, the former bowler said: “I am comfortably sitting here, and believe that everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used.”

The 39-year-old further added, “I have been portrayed in the media as someone who has backed Usman and has spoken about the incident and said something true. I have been neutral in this and just said my side of the story and what happened. Not taking sides here, everyone treated me well during my time in the Test squad.”

“In Port Elizabeth, as it comes to light now, we sat in the dressing room and discussed how to get the ball to reverse swing and what was to be used. It was eight years ago so the recollections could be a bit unclear, but there were conversations in the changing rooms.”

The right-arm seamer played the Test in Johannesburg where he claimed 2 wickets for 78 runs. He got the wickets of AB de Villiers for 69 and Kagiso Rabada for a duck. South Africa went on to win the game by 492 runs and gave ABD a fine farewell with a 3-1 series win.

Former Aussie star called out Pat Cummins for his statement. “I didn’t watch it entirely, but Cummins did come out and speak about it,and it felt strange for sure. I didn’t appreciate the fact that he came out and had a go at Khawaja. I felt it was personal.”

What did Pat Cummins say about the entire incident?

The 33-year-old star, who isn’t part of the ODI series against England, spoke to the media a few days ago and said, “I have taken some time this week to respond to Usman’s allegations. I have been trying to understand what those allegations have been all about, and 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.”

“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 said I and others were behind the decision to tamper with the ball using sandpaper. That’s complete 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, the lives of many others, and Australian cricket. He has the right to tell his story, 100%, but we have to be accountable for the things we say and do,” he concluded.