Australia Test Captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected allegations that he and other players were involved in planning the 2018 sandpaper ball-tampering scandal, challenging claims made by former teammate Usman Khawaja in his newly released autobiography, Sabr.
The renewed controversy has brought fresh scrutiny to one of Australian cricket’s most damaging episodes, eight years after three players were suspended following the incident against South Africa at Newlands. Khawaja’s account questions how widely knowledge of the scheme extended within the team and whether the original investigation established the full circumstances.
Cummins addressed the allegations at a press conference in Sydney on Friday, November 13, disputing the suggestion that every member of the Australian side knew sandpaper would be taken onto the field. His response subsequently drew criticism from former Australia opener David Warner, who publicly backed Khawaja’s account.
Cummins rejects allegations of a wider ball-tampering plot
Australia Test Captain Pat Cummins told reporters on Friday: “When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100% wrong. I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years.”
Khawaja’s account goes beyond questions of awareness, placing responsibility for the incident on a wider group of players than those sanctioned by Cricket Australia.
Cummins added: “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.”
The Australia Captain also rejected the idea that the incident resulted from an elaborate plan involving the team’s bowling attack. He said: “I think that’s maybe something that hasn’t been spoken about enough. People assume you have gone from very legal methods to suddenly taking sandpaper and then must have been some huge master plan. That is not the case. There’s no grand plan, there’s no bowlers saying, ‘this is what must happen’.”
Original investigation returns to the spotlight
The controversy dates to Australia’s 2018 Test against South Africa in Cape Town, when Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball.
Cricket Australia subsequently suspended then Captain Steve Smith and Vice-Captain David Warner for 12 months each, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban. All three accepted their sanctions and later returned to Test cricket.
Khawaja’s autobiography challenges the scope of the original investigation, which he has characterised as insufficiently thorough. He also alleges that sandpaper had been used during the preceding Test.
Cummins was part of Australia’s bowling attack alongside Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc. In 2021, the four bowlers issued a joint statement denying prior knowledge that a foreign substance had been taken onto the field to alter the ball.
Questions surrounding the original account have also resurfaced following comments from Simon Longstaff, who conducted a review of Cricket Australia’s culture after the scandal. Longstaff has indicated that he heard concerns about whether the publicly established version of events was complete.
Khawaja’s account raises questions over team responsibility
Another disputed element concerns how the Australian squad responded after the incident became public.
Khawaja maintains that he urged his teammates to accept responsibility collectively rather than allowing the consequences to fall solely on Smith, Warner and Bancroft. His account suggests that two players opposed that approach.
Cummins said he could not identify the individuals described because he had no recollection of such a discussion. He stated: “I don’t remember any conversation around collective responsibility. So then, I’ve got no idea who those two people would be because I don’t remember ever being asked or having a conversation about it.”
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The competing recollections have renewed debate about accountability within the 2018 team, particularly the distinction between involvement in the ball-tampering incident and responsibility for the broader environment in which it occurred.
Cummins acknowledges problems with Australia’s past culture
Although Cummins disputes Khawaja’s account of the sandpaper scheme, he has acknowledged that the Australian team’s behaviour in 2018 fell short of the standards he now expects.
Cummins was 24 at the time of the scandal and became Australia’s Test Captain in 2021. He has since sought to change the team’s approach to opponents and match officials.
Reflecting on that period, Cummins said: “I think there was a bit of an arrogance and a bit of an ugliness at times that didn’t sit well with me as a young guy. And now I’m captain, I have spent a lot of time making sure that that’s not the case with this current Aussie team.”
Cummins rules out legal action against Khawaja
The publication of Sabr has also created personal tensions between Cummins and Khawaja, who were teammates for years.
Cummins acknowledged the impact of the allegations on their relationship and the reputations of those named in the controversy. He said: “Usman’s a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations. In his book, Ussie has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket.”
The renewed attention has extended to Cummins’ family. A video circulated online showing him in an animated conversation with his wife, Rebecca Boston, which he confirmed concerned the allegations. He also expressed frustration at cameras following his family.
Despite the seriousness of the claims, Cummins has decided against pursuing a legal case.
He explained: “I did get advised this week that some of the things that’ve been said are probably defamatory, but I won’t be doing that.”
David Warner accuses Cummins of throwing Khawaja under the bus
Warner has challenged Cummins’ public rejection of Khawaja’s allegations, arguing that the Australia Captain’s remarks unfairly targeted his former teammate.
Speaking on Fox Cricket during the first ODI between Australia and England in Perth, Warner reaffirmed his support for Khawaja and disputed Cummins’ response.
“Pat Cummins was very well prepared, but I still stick by Uzzy and what he’s written in that book,” Warner said.
David Warner hits out at Pat Cummins live on Fox Cricket, and stands by every word of Khawaja’s book
“The captain today actually threw Uzzie under the bus.”
Warner also revealed he and his wife paid the greatest price as they lost a baby during that time. https://t.co/Fmy5ckWGNP
— Brutal Truth (@sarkarstix) November 13, 2026
“It is the truth and I really support him. I actually feel for him at the moment. I actually feel that the captain today actually threw Uzzy under the bus.”
“I’m very, very disappointed about that.”
Warner also spoke about the lasting personal consequences of the 2018 scandal for himself, Smith and Bancroft, contrasting their experiences with the concerns Cummins had raised about the impact of the renewed controversy on his own life.
“All three of us have paid a big price in this,” Warner said.
“I hadn’t spoken about it in eight years, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to live with these consequences daily. We’ve been served a life punishment.”
“There’s nothing worse for me, Steve and Cameron, who have to walk over there every single day. We cop abuse. Yes, we accepted it [the punishment].”
“But my wife and I, as well, pay the greatest price. We lost a baby during that time, and that’s why it really hurts me the most until the truth is accepted.”
Warner’s intervention adds another direct disagreement between members of Australia’s 2018 squad. While Cummins has rejected Khawaja’s allegations and indicated that he does not intend to revisit the controversy publicly, Warner continues to support his former teammate’s account.
