Pat Cummins: Australia captain describes Usman Khawaja’s ball tampering allegations as ‘nonsense’
Australia captain Pat Cummins has launched a stunning rebuke of Usman Khawaja’s account of the sandpaper scandal, describing his former teammate’s story as “complete and utter nonsense”.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has launched a stunning rebuke of Usman Khawaja’s account of the sandpaper scandal, describing his former teammate’s story as “complete and utter nonsense”.
On Friday morning, Cummins fronted the media to address Khawaja’s bombshell claims the entire side was aware of ball tampering on their infamous tour of South Africa in 2018.
Cummins said he supported Khawaja’s right to tell his story, but said it was at odds with the truth.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“When he says ‘we all knew’, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he is 100 per cent wrong,” Cummins said.
“I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening.
“But I think Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that. He says I and others were architects of scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense.
“Usman and I are friends, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives or reputations. In his book, Uzzy has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think, Australian cricket.”
Cummins said the Australia side at the time had a “win at all costs mentality”, an “ugly underbelly” and “too many silos in the team”, traits he hope he had helped eradicate in his six years as captain.
More to come
