Starc Reaffirms Unchanged Memory as Khawaja Resurrects Sandpapergate Claims

New Delhi, Nov 10: Nearly eight years after one of the darkest episodes in Australian cricket, the Sandpapergate scandal has returned to the spotlight as fresh claims from former opener Usman Khawaja drew a firm response from fast bowler Mitchell Starc.

Starc, who was part of the Australian team involved in the infamous 2018 Cape Town Test against South Africa, rejected Khawaja’s suggestion that the entire team was aware of the plan to tamper with the ball. The left-arm pacer backed the position he and three other Australian bowlers maintained in 2021, insisting that their recollection of the events had not changed.

“My recollection hasn’t changed,” Starc said, making it clear that he had no intention of revisiting the matter beyond the statement issued by him, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

The controversy has resurfaced following revelations in Khawaja’s forthcoming book, in which the former Australian opener claims that the entire team knew about the plan to use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the Cape Town Test. According to Khawaja, then captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft were made scapegoats by cricket administrators, despite the alleged wider knowledge of the incident.

Sandpapergate Scandal Continues to Divide Australia

The 2018 incident had sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. Bancroft was caught on television attempting to use sandpaper on the ball, triggering an investigation by Cricket Australia. The fallout was severe, with Smith and Warner receiving one-year suspensions from international and domestic cricket, while Bancroft was handed a nine-month ban. Smith and Warner were also barred from holding leadership positions for a specified period.

However, Khawaja’s latest claims have reignited questions about whether the punishment was limited to three players while others in the dressing room remained aware of what was happening.

Starc, however, was unwilling to be drawn into another round of allegations. “That’s obviously in a book. That’s for someone to explain further. As far as our statement said in 2021, we weren’t aware of things being taken on the field,” he said.

Khawaja has found support from Warner, who has described the former opener’s revelations as “100 per cent accurate”. Warner’s endorsement has added another layer to a controversy that Australian cricket has struggled to leave behind.

Cricket Australia, meanwhile, has ruled out reopening the investigation, stating that there is no “compelling reason” to revisit the episode.

The latest exchange highlights how Sandpapergate remains more than just a chapter in Australia’s cricketing history. For some, it is a story of accountability and punishment; for others, it is a controversy that never received the complete explanation it deserved.

Almost eight years on, the players may have moved forward with their careers, but the questions surrounding Cape Town 2018 have clearly not disappeared.

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