Australia captain Pat Cummins has rejected Usman Khawaja’s claims about players’ knowledge of ball tampering during the 2018 Test series against South Africa, saying he did not know sandpaper was being taken onto the field.
Khawaja claimed in his new book that everyone involved in the series knew about ball tampering, ABC News Australia reported. At a press conference, Cummins said that if Khawaja meant everyone knew sandpaper was going onto the field, “he’s 100 per cent wrong”.
Cummins also rejected the allegation that he and others were architects of a sandpaper scheme, calling it “complete and utter nonsense”. He said there was no team meeting or master plan around using illegal methods, according to Reuters via Channel News Asia.
Cricket Australia banned then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner from elite cricket for a year over their roles. Cameron Bancroft, who brought sandpaper onto the field, received a nine-month suspension. Warner has backed Khawaja’s account as accurate.
The head of Cricket Australia ruled out another investigation earlier in the week. Cummins said he respected Khawaja’s right to tell his story but would not take legal action over the allegations.
