Pat Cummins calls Usman Khawaja’s Sandpapergate allegation 'utter nonsense'

Australia captain Pat Cummins on Friday, November 13, 2026, in Sydney described claims in Usman Khawaja’s newly published autobiography that he knew about the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball in the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal as "utter nonsense." Cummins held an extraordinary news conference hours before Australia’s home-season opening one-day international against England in Perth to address the allegation.

Khawaja’s autobiography, published this week, says he set out his account — which he wrote the whole team knew about — to support the three players who received lengthy bans after the scandal. David Warner, one of those players and a longtime friend of Khawaja, posted on social media that the Cricket Australia investigation at the time was rushed and botched. Cummins was part of the bowling attack in the Test at Cape Town against South Africa. Cummins on Friday turned the scenario back on Khawaja, who retired from the Test team earlier this year.

Cummins rejected Khawaja’s account and accused him of being "casual" and "flippant" with his claims. "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," Cummins told reporters. "I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening."

He said Khawaja went further in the book by alleging that "He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper." "That’s complete and utter nonsense," Cummins added. He said he was prepared to answer questions all day because he did not want the topic "to be dredged up again every time a book was published or another claim made."

After an hour of questioning a cricket administrator suggested the news conference wind down, but Cummins again invited all questions to continue for as long as needed. He also said he was "genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam to be careful when using sandpaper." "That’s not the Usman that I know. It’s not the Usman that I think has been part of a team that’s helped rebuild the Australian cricket culture over the last eight years," he said. "And the one that would have stopped that from happening there and then."

Steve Smith and Warner were each banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia following the investigation into the cheating plot; Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months and was caught on TV footage using sandpaper on the ball during the Test match. The bowling group has rejected claims that everyone was in on the plot to use sandpaper to help make the ball "reverse" — or swing unconventionally through the air. In his autobiography Khawaja said he was sitting beside Bancroft in the locker rooms at one stage, learned of a plot to tamper with the ball and urged caution.

Cummins’ news conference came hours before Australia’s home-season opening one-day international against England in Perth, which is the immediate fixture following his remarks.