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Australia National Cricket Team captain Pat Cummins has firmly rejected Usman Khawaja's claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, insisting that he had no knowledge of sandpaper being taken onto the field.
Pat Cummins addressed the controversy publicly for the first time during an extended press conference in Sydney on Friday, November 13. He dismissed the suggestion that he was involved in any plan, while also expressing disappointment over his former teammate's revelations.
What were the allegations made by Usman Khawaja?
Usman Khawaja's account of the 2018 Cape Town Test has challenged the version of events that emerged after Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball. Bancroft, along with then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, received suspensions following the incident.
In Sabr, Khawaja suggested that the knowledge of the plan was not restricted to those three players. He alleged that the wider Australian dressing room was aware of the ball-tampering operation and also referred to an earlier incident during the South Africa tour.
One of the more significant revelations involved Usman Khawaja's admission that he had warned Bancroft to be careful while using sandpaper. His account has prompted questions about what other members of the team knew and whether the original investigation captured the full picture.
Par Cummins, who was part of Australia's team during that period, had maintained that he did not know sandpaper was being used.
"Complete and utter nonsense": What Pat Cummins said about Usman Khawaja's claims
Addressing the allegations during a 69-minute press conference at Cricket Central in Sydney, Pat Cummins explained that he had taken time to understand the full extent of Khawaja's claims before responding. He strongly denied knowing about the sandpaper being taken onto the field and rejected the suggestion that he helped organise the operation.
“I've taken a bit of time to respond to Usman's allegations. I've been trying to understand exactly what those allegations have been, that's why it's taken me a few days. When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he's 100 per cent wrong. I've said that consistently for the last eight years, I did not know that was happening.
"But I think 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.”
Usman's a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations - Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins also questioned Khawaja's decision to reveal that he had warned Bancroft about using sandpaper. He said the admission surprised him because it did not match the person he believed Khawaja to be.
“I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam [Cameron Bancroft] to be careful when using sandpaper. That's not the Usman that I know. It's not the Usman that I think, or that has been part of a team that's helped rebuild this Australian cricket culture over the last eight years, and you know the Usman that would have stopped that from happening there and then," Pat Cummins said.
“Usman's a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations. In his book, Uzzy has been casual with my lives and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket. I support his right to tell a story 100 per cent. I'm really glad that he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.”
Also Read: Pat Cummins admits witnessing ball-tampering: "He took a bottle cap out in the field"
