Pat Cummins accuses Usman Khawaja of lying about Sandpapergate

Dubai: Australia captain Pat Cummins has hit back at former teammate Usman Khawaja over his account of the infamous Sandpaper Gate scandal, describing the claims in the opener’s book as “100% nonsense”.

The relationship between the two Australians has taken a turn for the worse after Khawaja claimed that everyone in the Australian dressing room was aware of the ball-tampering incident during the 2018 Test series against South Africa.

Cummins and Khawaja had met before the release of the latter’s book, but the Australia captain has now publicly challenged his former teammate’s recollection of events, insisting there was no collective plan to use illegal methods to alter the ball.

“Usman’s a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations. In his book, Uzzi’s been casual with my lives and the lives of many others,” Cummins said in his press conference ahead of the first ODI between Australia and England.

He also rejected the suggestion that the ball-tampering operation was organised through a team-wide plan or meeting.

“There was no masterplan around using illegal methods. People assume you’ve gone 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. There’s no team meeting. There’s no bowlers saying this is what must happen,” he added.

Cummins, who was playing his 13th Test at the age of 24 when the scandal unfolded, acknowledged that the Australian team had an unhealthy culture at the time. He described the environment as having a “win-at-all-costs mentality” and an “ugly underbelly”, while also admitting there were too many divisions within the dressing room.

The fast bowler also believes the punishments handed to Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner were excessive.

“I think the punishments meted out on the three players was heavy-handed and way over the top,” he said.

Cummins admitted he had not spoken to Warner recently but said he understood why the former Australia opener wanted to tell his side of the story.

He added that the incident had affected the lives of the three players and their families, while suggesting there may have been wider responsibility for the culture that existed within the team.

Cummins also made it clear that he wanted to address the controversy once and for all, saying he was prepared to answer questions for as long as necessary before moving on.

“I don’t want to talk about this again after today,” he said.

The Sandpaper Gate scandal erupted during Australia’s 2018 Test tour of South Africa, when Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball. Smith and Warner were subsequently handed lengthy suspensions, while Bancroft also received a ban.

Khawaja’s account has reopened debate about how much the wider Australian dressing room knew about the incident, with Cummins now strongly disputing his former teammate’s version of events. Nvertheless, the Aussie captain will now shift his focus on England as they face the Three Lions in a three match ODI series and play five T20 matches.