Pat Cummins rejects Usman Khawaja’s claims about the 2018 sandpaper scandal as “complete and utter nonsense”
Admits the 2018 Australian team had a “win-at-all-costs mentality” and an “ugly underbelly”
Rules out legal action against Khawaja despite receiving advice that some claims could be defamatory
Australia captain Pat Cummins has strongly refuted former teammate Usman Khawaja’s allegations surrounding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, describing claims that the entire team knew about the use of sandpaper as “100% wrong” and accusations of a wider conspiracy as “complete and utter nonsense”.
Cummins addressed the controversy during a 69-minute press conference at Cricket Central in Sydney, where he faced questions about Khawaja’s recently released autobiography, Sabr.
The former Australia opener has alleged that knowledge of the sandpaper operation extended beyond the three players who were eventually sanctioned by Cricket Australia (CA).
Steve Smith, then captain, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were handed lengthy suspensions by CA following the ball-tampering incident during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018.
Khawaja has maintained that more members of the dressing room were aware of the plan and called for the team to take collective responsibility.
Cummins, however, insisted that he had no knowledge of sandpaper being taken onto the field and maintained that his position on the incident had remained consistent over the past eight years.
“I've taken a bit of time this week to respond to Usman's allegations. I've been trying to understand exactly what those allegations have been, that's why it's taken me a few days.
“When he says, ‘we all knew,’ if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he’s 100% wrong. 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 far more serious than that. He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper – that’s complete and utter nonsense.”
Pat Cummins Questions Khawaja's Account, Rules Out Legal Action
Beyond denying knowledge of the ball-tampering operation, Cummins expressed surprise at Khawaja's admission that he had warned Bancroft to be careful while using sandpaper. The Australia captain said the revelation did not match his understanding of his former teammate.
“I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out Usman admitted he told Cam [Bancroft] to be careful when using sandpaper. That’s not the Usman that I know, it’s not the Usman that has been part of the team that’s helped rebuild the Australian cricket culture over the last eight years, and the Usman that would have stopped that from happening there and then.”
Cummins also spoke about the personal implications of the allegations, pointing out that the controversy had affected the reputations of several individuals and brought their families into the discussion.
While acknowledging his long-standing friendship with Khawaja, the Australian skipper questioned the manner in which the claims had been presented in the autobiography. He also defended Khawaja's right to share his version of events but stressed that public statements carried responsibility.
“Usman’s a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations. In his book Uzzie’s been casual with my [life] and the lives of many others, and, I think, Australian cricket. I support his right to tell a story, 100%. I’m really glad he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.”
Cummins confirmed that he had received legal advice suggesting some of Khawaja's allegations could be defamatory. However, he ruled out taking legal action against his former teammate.
“You've got to move on,” he said. “It's been eight years.... You got to draw the line at some point. I won't be doing that.”
The Australian captain also rejected the suggestion that the incident was part of a carefully coordinated plan involving the team's bowling attack. He insisted there was no larger strategy to manipulate the ball through illegal methods.
“There’s no grand plan, there’s no bowlers saying, ‘this is what must happen.’”
While firmly disputing Khawaja's claims, Cummins acknowledged that the Australian team of 2018 had significant cultural problems. Reflecting on his younger self, he described the dressing room environment as one driven by a win-at-all-costs mentality.
“Today I’ll talk as Australian captain right now, but I’ll also talk about the 24-year-old young guy and his recollections playing my 13th Test back in 2018 in a team that at that stage I think had a win-at-all-costs mentality, had an ugly underbelly, and there was too many silos within the team – traits that I hope that everyone has seen and I try very hard to eradicate for the last six years as captain.”
Cummins also criticised the team's aggressive conduct on the field, particularly its interactions with umpires and opposition players. He said changing that culture had been an important part of his leadership since becoming Australia captain.
“I thought that the way we acted on the field was quite abrasive. I didn’t like the way we spoke to umpires, the opposition,” he said.
“I think there was a bit of an arrogance and a bit of an ugliness at times that didn’t sit well with me as a young guy. And now I’m captain, I have spent a lot of time making sure that that’s not the case with this current Aussie team.”
Another contentious issue raised in Sabr concerned the appointment of Tim Paine as Australia's interim captain after Smith and Warner stepped aside following their suspensions. Khawaja said he was “flabbergasted” by the decision and alleged that CA was not prepared to appoint a “brown Australian cricket captain”.
Cummins strongly disagreed with the suggestion that race influenced the captaincy decision, describing the allegation as one of the most serious claims he had encountered in the book.
“I think of all the things I’ve read this week, I think that’s actually the most serious,” Cummins said.
“I agree with Uzzy on a lot of things, but … him saying that if you’re Australian captain you have to be a certain skin colour, I couldn’t disagree with that statement any more.”
Cummins also confirmed that he had exchanged messages with Khawaja since the autobiography was released but declined to reveal the details of their conversation. He admitted that the developments had left him reflecting on the future of their friendship.
The Australia skipper highlighted their 15-year association, dating back to their time together at New South Wales, and acknowledged Khawaja's importance throughout his career. However, he stressed that the allegations had consequences beyond their personal relationship.
“I've played 15 years, my debut for New South Wales and with Australia, Usman was right there, and he's been awesome to me, and he's a friend,” Cummins said.
“But this is people's real lives, and this is serious. I saw [my wife] Becky on the news yesterday. Like this affects not only people but people's families, and I'm one of the lesser ones. Maybe this week I'm right there. But talking eight years ago, like it was traumatic for those guys, for all of us, for Australian cricket, for fans. So to bring it up so flippantly and casually, I think it's irresponsible. So yeah, they're all things I'm grappling with at the moment,” he said.
Cummins maintained that he wanted to address the allegations comprehensively and move forward, making it clear that he did not wish to revisit the controversy after the press conference.
