Australia captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected allegations made by his former teammate Usman Khawaja in the latter’s autobiography, branding the claims “100% wrong” and “utter nonsense” during an impromptu media briefing in Sydney.
The 2018 ball‑tampering episode saw Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft sanctioned for deliberately altering the condition of the ball with sandpaper during Australia’s Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
Khawaja’s recently published book states that the entire Australian squad, including Cummins, were aware of the scheme and should have accepted collective responsibility for the incident.
In his Sydney address, Cummins countered both points. “If by that he means we all knew sandpaper would be taken onto the field, he is 100 % wrong,” he said. “I have been consistent for the past eight years that I had no knowledge of what was happening. The suggestion that I and others were architects of a ball‑tampering plan is complete and utter nonsense.”
Cummins and Khawaja shared the dressing‑room for 56 Tests before Khawaja’s international retirement in January 2024. The pair also teamed up for New South Wales in domestic cricket and were teammates when Cummins made his Test debut in 2011.
Describing Khawaja as a friend, Cummins warned that friends do not recklessly jeopardise each other’s lives and reputations. “In his book he has been casual with my life and the lives of many others—and, I think, Australian cricket,” he observed. “I support him to tell his story 100 %—I’m glad he feels he can—but we have to be accountable for the things we say and do.”
Cummins arranged a media conference himself, pledging to answer all questions and vowing not to discuss the matter again after that day. He kept his promise, speaking for an hour and eight minutes, at times emotional, and covering a wide range of topics.
Key points he addressed included: the possibility that some of Khawaja’s claims are defamatory but that he will not pursue legal action; his contacts with Khawaja and Smith (but not Warner) since the book’s release; his view that the one‑year bans on Smith and Warner and the nine‑month suspension of Bancroft were “heavy‑handed”; his lack of recollection of any ball‑tampering during the 2017‑18 Ashes series; his meeting with Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, who has reviewed the original investigation files; and an explanation of why sandpaper was present in the dressing room, noting that bowlers sometimes use it in training to practice reverse swing.
Khawaja’s revelations have reignited debate over the 2018 sandpaper plot, the integrity investigation, the broader culture of Australian cricket, and the reputations of those involved.
The story has dominated Australian media outlets and generated headlines across the cricketing world.
Support for Khawaja’s version comes from Warner and former Australia seam bowler Chadd Sayers, who was part of the 2018 touring squad. Conversely, the allegations have been repudiated by former head coach Darren Lehmann, his assistant Graeme Hick and fellow bowler Mitchell Starc.
Khawaja’s book casts a spotlight on Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon—the quartet that formed Australia’s attack in Cape Town and remains the first‑choice bowling unit eight years later. The four have consistently denied any knowledge of the plot, most recently in a joint statement issued in 2021.
In “Sabr,” Khawaja alleges that the Australian team was urged by a coach to find ways of making the ball swing, that Bancroft was later encouraged to cheat, and that he asked the whole side to accept responsibility—a request he says was rejected by two unnamed players.
Cummins responded that he has no recollection of any such request being made or rejected. He dismissed the notion of a coordinated plan: “There was no masterplan around using illegal methods. People assume you go from very legal methods to suddenly taking sandpaper, and there must have been some huge masterplan. That is not the case. There’s no grand plan, no team meeting, no bowlers saying this is what must happen. There are big leaps where Usman is being vague.”
