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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has shared his views on the ongoing Sandpapergate controversy and questioned Pat Cummins’ claim of being unaware of the sandpaper incident in 2018. Wasim Akram believes that any experienced bowler can easily identify when a cricket ball has been damaged using sandpaper.
Although the legendary Pakistan fast bowler has described Cummins as a close friend and praised his leadership, he made it clear that he was speaking only from his experience as a fast bowler. He feels the marks left by sandpaper are very different from the normal scratches a ball gets during a match.
Read Also: Cricket Australia breaks silence after David Warner questions 2018 ball-tampering investigation.
Wasim Akram questions Pat Cummins' Sandpapergate claim, says Sandpaper scratches are different
Wasim Akram shared his views on Saturday (November 14) a day after Pat Cummins addressed the controversy in a 68-minute press conference and rejected Usman Khawaja's claims about the Australian team's knowledge of the ball-tampering plan in Cape Town in 2018.
Explaining his point, Akram said bowlers handle the ball throughout a match and understand how it changes with time. They shine one side to generate a reverse swing, while the other side can become rough after hitting the ground.
However, the former Pakistan captain believes the scratches caused by sandpaper are completely different and cannot easily go unnoticed by an experienced bowler. Wasim Akram said in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter): “I saw Pat Cummins, who’s a very close friend of mine, a great cricketer, one of the top leaders in world cricket, the way he leads his team from the front, and he said he didn’t know.
It’s my opinion, and it can be right or wrong, but as a bowler, when the cricket ball comes in my hand, either it’s the fifth over, either it’s in the 10th over, or either it’s in the 50th over—the old ball—where you look after the ball, you shine the one side if it’s a dry day, a dry square, you do a one-bounce throw, and you get it scratched a bit, but the sandpaper scratch is totally different than the one-bounce scratch.”
Wasim Akram says experienced bowlers can spot tampering
The legendary pacer explained that anyone can understand the difference by rubbing sandpaper on a semi-new cricket ball and comparing the marks with those caused by normal play.
Akram further shared, “As a cricket lover, if you want to check, grab a semi-new cricket ball, grab sandpaper, and rub it in; you know the scratches are totally different. Again, as I said, I’m not taking anybody’s side. Australians are known and famous for their straightforwardness, hardness on the field, off the field, and, most importantly, honesty.”
Akram stressed that he was not taking anyone's side in the ball-tampering controversy. He hopes the matter gets resolved soon, as the controversy has once again put the entire Australian cricket team under pressure.
Read Also: David Warner accuses Cricket Australia of 'Cover-Up' in 2018 Sandpapergate Scandal.
He signed off by saying, “The whole nation has been under stress. Eight years ago and back to it again. I hope things get sorted out. This is my take as a bowler. As an experienced bowler, when I look at the ball, I will know straightaway something is not right.”
Wasim Akram on Pat Cummins. 🗣️ "He said he didn’t know about the sandpaper. As a bowler, you shine one side of the ball and use a one-bounce throw to rough it up. But sandpaper scratches are totally different." https://t.co/p0vJJtTKzd
— Sheri. (@CallMeSheri1_) November 14, 2026
The Sandpapergate scandal
The Sandpapergate scandal took place during Australia's 2018 Test series in South Africa. David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were found guilty of ball tampering.
However, Australia's bowling attack, including Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, denied knowing about the use of sandpaper. In 2021, the bowlers said they came to know about the incident only after seeing the television footage.
The controversy returned to the headlines after Usman Khawaja released his autobiography, where he claimed that the entire Australian team knew about the plan to tamper with the ball. Cummins and Starc have rejected his claims, while Warner has supported Khawaja's claims.
