The cricket official who oversaw the investigation into Australian cricket after the Sandpapergate scandal has admitted he may have been misled, following explosive new claims from Usman Khawaja that have reopened the controversy.
Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, has reignited the scandal from eight years ago. In the book, he claims the entire Australian team knew the ball was being tampered with, rather than only Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft—the three players who faced the consequences.
His account has prompted calls for a fresh investigation, while former Australia captain Michael Clarke said cricket supporters in the country “don’t know what’s real”.
Simon Longstaff, director of the Ethics Centre, has now acknowledged that he may not have been given the full truth.
The official who led the inquiry into Australian cricket has admitted he may have been lied to
Joe Root (left) insists it is not the case that the ‘whole world’ was ball tampering as Usman Khawaja (right) has claimed in his new book
Writing in the Australian Financial Review on Wednesday, Longstaff said: “We picked up whispers—very few and very faint—that, perhaps, the public record did not tell the full story.” He added that if the claims about widespread knowledge of the ball tampering were true, then he “was also lied to”.
“In the face of explicit denials that there was anything more to be said on the matter, we were left with ‘whispers’ … and nothing more,” he wrote.
During Australia’s 4-0 victory that winter, the team had discovered that lifting the flaps on the quarter seam of the ball made it “almost like it had a rudder on it”, causing it to begin reverse-swinging.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has said the organisation will not reopen the investigation. Longstaff, however, warned that the governing body would be better served by “owning the truth”.
He said “the truth has a stubborn habit of emerging” and that Cricket Australia would be “better served owning the truth rather than having it stalk the institution”.
Longstaff’s remarks came after Joe Root rejected Khawaja’s claim that “the whole world” was involved in ball tampering. Khawaja, a former Australia opener who was part of the squad embroiled in the South Africa scandal, made the assertion in his book.
Asked whether Khawaja’s claim was accurate, Root said: “I can only speak from my own experiences. That’s not how I feel.”
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Tensions have risen in Australia after Khawaja alleged that the entire team knew about the sandpaper plan at Cape Town in 2018, rather than just Smith, Warner and Bancroft—the three players who were blamed.
Root repeatedly avoided being drawn into the controversy, saying: “We obviously have no idea. It’s all speculation. Our focus, our concerns are on this three-match series.”
Asked how the allegations affected his view of the 2017-18 series, when he was England captain, Root replied: “I wasn’t in that dressing-room. I don’t know what went on. I don’t want to speculate, as I said. My focus is with this team right now and what we’ve got coming up.”
Khawaja has since withdrawn from television and radio appearances promoting his book after facing repeated questions about its contents on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s flagship 7.30 programme on Tuesday night.
Presenter Sarah Ferguson repeatedly asked Khawaja to expand on his claim that the whole team knew about the sandpaper plot, including Pat Cummins, who is now Australia’s captain.
Khawaja declined to provide further details, saying: “I’m not here to inflame the situation any more.
“I was here to tell my truth, what I saw, what I felt, and to stick with those three guys that were made out to be the only people who have taken [the blame].”
BETHELL TO FLY HOME
Jacob Bethell’s involvement in England’s eight-match white-ball tour has ended before it began after swelling returned in his troublesome right knee, raising concerns over his availability for next month’s Test series in South Africa.
Bethell, who is due to fly back to the UK from Perth on Saturday, has not played since injuring the knee during England’s ODI against India at Lord’s on July 19.
Friday’s opening ODI against Australia at Optus Stadium was intended to mark his return. Instead, Bethell will see a specialist in the UK to determine the severity of the injury. The first Test against South Africa begins at Centurion on December 17.
England are already without fast bowler Josh Tongue for the three-match 50-over series and the subsequent five T20s because of a toe injury. They have drafted in two uncapped players as cover: Sussex spin-bowling all-rounder James Coles and Hampshire fast bowler Eddie Jack.
Bethell’s absence is a setback as England seek to develop a settled team capable of challenging at next year’s one-day World Cup in southern Africa. It does, however, remove one selection dilemma, with Tom Banton now likely to continue opening alongside Ben Duckett after their promising partnership in the recent tri-series in Pakistan.