Cummins calls Khawaja's sandpaper claims "complete and utter nonsense"

Australia captain Pat Cummins has rejected claims by former team-mate Usman Khawaja that the whole Test side knew sandpaper was being used on the ball in Cape Town in 2018. He called the claims "100% wrong" and "complete and utter nonsense", ESPNcricinfo, the BBC and The Hindu reported.

Cummins set up the news conference himself in Sydney on Friday, hours before Australia's home-season opening one-day international against England in Perth, The Hindu reported. The BBC said he spoke for 68 minutes, and ABC News described it as an hour-long press conference. When a Cricket Australia official tried to wrap things up, Cummins kept taking questions.

Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr, was published this week. The BBC reported that in it he alleges a coach urged Australia to find ways to make the ball swing and that Cameron Bancroft was later encouraged to cheat. Khawaja also writes that he was sitting beside Bancroft in the dressing room when he learned of the plan, and that he urged caution.

"When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he's 100% wrong," Cummins said, according to the BBC. "He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense."

He also turned Khawaja's own account back on him. "I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam to be careful when using sandpaper," Cummins said, as quoted by The Hindu. The BBC quoted him saying: "Usman is a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations."

The BBC reported that Cummins said he had been advised some of Khawaja's claims were defamatory but would not take legal action. He described the bans as "heavy handed". He said Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg had reviewed the original investigation files since the book came out and found the accounts "consistent". Greenberg has said he will not reopen the investigation. Cummins also said bowlers sometimes used sandpaper on training balls to practise with reverse swing.

Steve Smith and David Warner, then captain and vice-captain, were each banned for 12 months and Bancroft for nine months. Warner has backed Khawaja, posting on social media that the investigation was rushed and botched, The Hindu reported. The BBC said seam bowler Chadd Sayers had also supported Khawaja, while former head coach Darren Lehmann, his assistant Graeme Hick and bowler Mitchell Starc had rejected the claims. Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, the attack in Cape Town, denied any knowledge of the plot in a joint statement in 2021.

"It's been eight years. We're moving on," Cummins said, according to the BBC, as Australia prepared to open their one-day series against England in Perth.

Sources: ESPNcricinfo, Cummins: Khawaja's allegations 'complete and utter nonsense'; ABC News, Cummins hits out at Khawaja in passionate hour-long press conference; The Hindu, Australia cricket captain describes Khawaja’s Sandpapergate claim as ’utter nonsense’; BBC Sport, 'Wrong' and 'nonsense' - Cummins on Khawaja sandpaper claims.