Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected Usman Khawaja’s allegations surrounding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal at Newlands, insisting he had no knowledge of the plan to use sandpaper and questioning his former teammate’s account of events.
Speaking during an extensive press conference, Cummins addressed the allegations contained in Khawaja’s autobiography, which has reignited debate surrounding one of Australian cricket’s biggest controversies.
The scandal, which unfolded during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2018, resulted in suspensions for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
Eight years later, questions remain about how much the wider Australian dressing room knew about the attempt to alter the condition of the ball.
Some of the major quotes from Khawaja’s book were:
“I personally never tampered with a ball – in terms of scratching it or anything – but I knew everything that was going on and I wasn’t against it, which makes me complicit.”
“I won’t speak on behalf of any other players – that’s for them to talk about. Of course, I bloody knew what was happening with the sandpaper.”
“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”
“I can only speak for myself, and it’s very clear I knew what was going on.”
Cummins, who was part of the Australian team at Newlands, was emphatic in rejecting suggestions that he knew sandpaper would be taken onto the field.
“When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper’s going out in the field, he’s 100% wrong. I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening.”
However, Cummins suggested the allegations went beyond simply knowing about the incident.
“He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper.
“That’s complete and utter nonsense.”
Cummins Questions Khawaja’s Account
One of the revelations from Khawaja’s account was his admission that he had warned Cameron Bancroft to be careful when using sandpaper.
Cummins said he was shocked to learn of that conversation.
“I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam to be careful when using sandpaper.”
The Australian captain said the revelation was difficult to reconcile with his understanding of Khawaja, whom he described as a friend and an important figure in rebuilding the team’s culture following the scandal.
“That’s not the man that I know.”
Cummins also questioned the broader implications of the allegations, arguing that the reputations of several players were being affected.
“Friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations.”
He maintained that Khawaja had every right to tell his story but believed there was a responsibility to consider the consequences of making serious accusations.
“I support his right to tell a story 100%. I’m really glad that he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.”
The disagreement has created an uncomfortable situation between two players who have shared a dressing room for many years.
Cummins suggested that Khawaja’s account contained details that could be accurate but questioned whether conclusions about the entire Australian team could be drawn from them.
“Some of these things are probably true, you know, and they’re his accounts of what happened, but I think there’s a few big leaps here.”
He explained that conversations involving Bancroft did not necessarily mean every player in the dressing room knew what was happening.
“Perhaps there was conversations with Cam Bancroft around taking sandpaper out and how to do it.
“That doesn’t mean that everyone in that dressing room knew what was going on.”
‘There Was No Master Plan’
Cummins was repeatedly questioned about whether the Australian bowlers had discussed or encouraged illegal methods to generate reverse swing during the 2018 tour.
He acknowledged that discussions about reverse swing were common in the dressing room but denied knowing about any coordinated plan to use sandpaper illegally.
“There was no master plan around using illegal methods.”
He explained that bowlers and fielders regularly discussed ways of getting the ball to reverse swing, including legal methods such as bowling cross-seam and allowing the ball to become roughened naturally.
“There’s a lot of conversations in change rooms around how to get reverse swing. Most of them totally fine. Like you’re always trying to perfect it.”
Cummins said he had never been part of a conversation in which players agreed to take illegal methods onto the field.
He also challenged the assumption that every player would automatically have known what was happening simply because they shared a dressing room.
Referring specifically to Newlands, Cummins explained that international dressing-room facilities contained several separate areas, making it possible for conversations to take place without the entire squad being present.
“International change rooms are very different to that a lot of the time, particularly in Newlands in Cape Town. There’s actually two change rooms, very separate. There’s also a dining room off to the side.”
Cummins argued that the physical layout made it difficult to assume that everyone would have heard the same conversations.
“So to think that, oh, it happened in a change room and everyone must know, it’s just not how it works.”
He acknowledged that different players could have different recollections of what occurred during that week.
Australia Had an ‘Ugly Underbelly’
While Cummins rejected the allegations surrounding his involvement, he did not attempt to defend the culture of the Australian team in 2018.
Instead, he offered a candid assessment of the environment that existed during that period.
Cummins described the team as having a win-at-all-costs mentality, an ugly underbelly and divisions between different groups.
He said those were characteristics he had worked to eliminate during his time as captain.
Reflecting on his experiences as a younger player, Cummins recalled feeling uncomfortable with aspects of the team’s behaviour.
“There was parts that I didn’t really think was okay.”
He particularly questioned the way some players conducted themselves on the field.
“I thought the way we acted on the field was quite abrasive. Didn’t like some of the way we spoke to umpires, the opposition.”
Cummins believed there had been arrogance within the side that did not sit comfortably with him.
“There was, I think, a bit of an arrogance and a bit of an ugliness at times that just didn’t really sit well with me as a young guy.”
Since becoming captain, Cummins said he had worked to ensure that the current Australian team operated differently.
However, he maintained that recognising the cultural problems of the 2018 side was not the same as accepting that every player knew about the illegal ball-tampering plan.
Cummins Believes Punishments Were Too Harsh
Despite defending his account of the original investigation and rejecting allegations against the wider team, Cummins expressed sympathy for the three players who were sanctioned.
Smith and Warner received 12-month bans from Australian domestic and international cricket, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months.
Cummins believed those punishments were excessive.
“My personal opinion is it was way too heavy-handed. It was way over the top.”
He acknowledged that the consequences of the scandal had been traumatic for the players involved and their families.
However, he argued that concerns about the severity of the punishments should not automatically lead to the conclusion that the entire Australian team had been involved.
Cummins also defended his participation in Cricket Australia’s original investigation, insisting he had answered questions truthfully and consistently.
“I did my interview. I was totally truthful. I’ve been very consistent since then at that event till now. Nothing’s changed.”
He said he did not remember a team meeting in which Khawaja proposed that the entire squad accept collective responsibility for the incident.
“I don’t remember any conversation around collective responsibility. I don’t remember any team meeting where he stood up and said, ‘Let’s all own this as a team.’”
Cummins added that other people he had spoken to also did not recall such a meeting.
While he defended the investigative process, he acknowledged that the question of whether the sanctions were fair remained open to debate.
Khawaja’s Captaincy Claims Also Rejected
The press conference also addressed another serious allegation raised in Khawaja’s book concerning race and the Australian Test captaincy.
Khawaja suggested that his background and skin colour had influenced his opportunities to lead Australia following the 2018 scandal.
Cummins described this as one of the most serious issues raised in the autobiography.
“Of all the things that I’ve read this week, I think that’s actually the most serious.”
He rejected the suggestion that the Australian Test captaincy was reserved for players of a particular racial background.
“To think that, yeah, the job that I hold is quarantined from people based on their skin colour, that’s a pretty big statement.”
Cummins argued that such a significant allegation required evidence.
“I think if you’re going to say that, I think you’ve got to have some evidence.”
While acknowledging that he agreed with his former teammate on several issues, Cummins made it clear that this was not one of them.
Time to Move On?
Cummins also ruled out pursuing legal action over the allegations, despite acknowledging that he had received advice about the potentially defamatory nature of some claims.
“I won’t be doing that. Like, you got to move on. It’s been eight years.”
Instead, he expressed a desire for Australian cricket to move beyond a controversy that has continued to generate debate for more than eight years.
He acknowledged that the consequences of the scandal had been deeply personal for those involved.
“These are people’s lives. It was traumatic for some of them. Like they’ve had to work through quite a bit to get out the other side.”
Cummins said his frustration stemmed partly from the way the issue had resurfaced and the impact it could have on the people involved.
He also spoke about his relationship with Khawaja and the difficulty of dealing with allegations made by someone he considered a friend.
“These guys you really care about. I’ve played 15 years. My debut for New South Wales and with Australia was right there and he’s been awesome to me and he’s a friend.”
Despite their differences, Cummins suggested that he hoped the relationship could eventually recover.
For the Australian captain, the latest revelations have reopened a difficult chapter in the country’s cricket history, one he believes the team has worked hard to move beyond.
Yet the contrasting accounts of Khawaja and Cummins demonstrate why the events at Newlands continue to attract scrutiny.
While Cummins maintains that he knew nothing about the plan to take sandpaper onto the field, Khawaja’s allegations have raised fresh questions about the knowledge and responsibility of the wider Australian dressing room.
Eight years after Bancroft was caught attempting to alter the ball, the debate surrounding Sandpapergate is far from settled.
