Cummins rebuts Khawaja’s claims as Sandpapergate controversy is reopened amid calls for Cricket Australia transparency
Australia captain Pat Cummins, speaking in Sydney on the day his side faced England at Optus Stadium in Perth, denied allegations in Usman Khawaja’s book Sabr that the entire 2018 Australian team and support staff knew about the Sandpapergate ball-tampering incident, insisting there was never a “masterplan” and calling Khawaja’s suggestion “complete and utter nonsense.” The book, whose title Sabr the author notes means patience in Urdu, has reopened debate around the 2018 episode during Australia’s ODI series against England in November 2026.
The columnist frames the renewed scrutiny through an Odyssean analogy, referencing Homer’s telling of Odysseus and Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film The Odyssey and an interview with political theorist Yiyang Zhuge to contrast untroubled and guilt-laden returns from past deeds. He says Khawaja’s account has reignited public interest in Sandpapergate and prompted Cummins to spend more than an hour addressing the matter with reporters, though Cummins was not part of the playing squad at Optus Stadium and instead spoke from Sydney.
The article recaps the penalties imposed after the 2018 incident: it says the ICC banned Steve Smith for one match and docked 100 per cent of his match fee, that Cameron Bancroft received three demerit points and a financial penalty, and that Cricket Australia handed 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket to both David Warner and Smith. The piece also records the aftermath for Warner, noting he was left off the 2018–19 national contract list, was banned from the 2018 Indian Premier League — costing him a Rs 12 crore contract — and was dropped by major personal sponsors.
The column argues that Cricket Australia used the episode to change the public perception of the national team, writing that the board sought a break with the past by appointing Pat Cummins as a captain who emphasised inclusivity. It states that Australian cricket subsequently adopted new practices, highlights the board’s efforts to give a voice to the Aboriginal community, and cites the introduction of pitch-side audio as a direct outcome of the scandal.
Khawaja’s new allegations, the article reports, assert that three players were made to take the fall while a wider group should have been held accountable; Khawaja is quoted as saying he was never interviewed by Cricket Australia despite being present in the dressing room during the Cape Town Test. The columnist adds that David Warner has publicly backed Khawaja’s account and questioned the integrity of the original inquiry.
The piece sets out the responses from current figures: Cummins, who said he had been questioned in 2018 and “had answered everything fairly,” denied any knowledge of a collective ball-tampering plan and dismissed Khawaja’s claim as “complete and utter nonsense.” Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg told SEN that specific details in Khawaja’s book contradicted accounts from other 2018 team members and that the board saw no “compelling reason” to reopen the investigation, adding, “I don't think there's anything that can be gained from that.”
The columnist urges action from the boardroom rather than renewed scrutiny of the players, suggesting Cricket Australia could publish the original inquiry’s findings, scope, interview list and rationale with appropriate redactions if it chooses not to conduct a fresh probe. He writes that transparency about the original investigation would allow the public to judge whether the board’s 2018 response was thorough without necessarily reversing past sanctions.
If Cricket Australia maintains that the 2018 inquiry was sufficient, the article concludes, the board can make its original report and the basis for its decisions public; otherwise, questions about the scope and conduct of that investigation remain matters for the governing body to address rather than for another examination of the three players who were punished.
