David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of a “shoddy” investigation into the Sandpapergate scandal, claiming the findings “stink of a cover-up” just a day after alleging Test captain Pat Cummins had thrown Usman Khawaja “under the bus”.
In his new book Sabr, Khawaja wrote that members of Australia’s wider squad and coaching staff knew about a plan to use sandpaper on the ball during the 2018 Test series against South Africa to help produce reverse swing.
During the Test in Cape Town, television cameras caught Australia opener Cameron Bancroft using a small piece of sandpaper to roughen one side of the match ball.
Bancroft was subsequently banned from professional cricket in Australia for nine months, while captain Steve Smith and vice-captain Warner were each suspended for 12 months.
The scandal sent shockwaves through international cricket. On Friday, Warner defended his long-time friend Khawaja, saying: “I still stick by what Uzzie’s written in that book; it’s the truth.”
A day later, Warner took aim at Cricket Australia’s 2018 inquiry, describing the investigation into the ball-tampering episode as “shoddy”.
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins enjoyed a relaxed family outing on Saturday, 24 hours after dismissing former teammate Usman Khawaja’s Sandpapergate claims as “nonsense”
Khawaja, pictured with Cummins in 2018, wrote that Australia’s wider team and coaching staff knew about the plan to use sandpaper during the 2018 South Africa series to aid reverse swing
Cummins’ wife Rebecca wore a T-shirt and shorts during the family walk
Warner said some Australian players were not interviewed as part of the 2018 inquiry, which concluded that only Bancroft, Smith and Warner knew about the plan.
“If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn’t know?” he said.
He accused Cricket Australia of conducting a “shoddy investigation”, selecting “who they wanted to blame” and promoting a “false narrative that the bowlers had no idea”. Warner added that the episode “stinks of a cover-up”.
The Daily Mail has contacted Cricket Australia for a response to Warner’s allegations.
A spokesperson for the governing body repeated its established position in comments to ABC News.
“As we have stated previously, all players were given the opportunity to speak at the time of the initial investigation and have had the ability to come forward with new evidence in the eight years since,” the spokesperson said.
“Subsequently, CA has respected every player and former player’s right to provide their own version of events.”
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg ruled out reopening the investigation on Tuesday morning.
Cummins addressed the Sandpapergate allegations during a press conference lasting more than an hour on Friday before saying he would not discuss the matter again
David Warner has described Cricket Australia’s Sandpapergate investigation as “shoddy”
Cummins walked through his quiet neighbourhood with Rebecca, their children and dog while wearing a T-shirt and shorts
The 2018 Cricket Australia inquiry concluded that Bancroft, Smith and Warner were the only players aware of the ball-tampering plan.
In 2021, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a statement denying any knowledge of the scheme.
Khawaja’s claims reignited the dispute this week. Starc was the first of his former teammates to respond, insisting he had not known sandpaper would be used. Cummins then described the allegation as “complete and utter nonsense” on Friday.
While Warner has continued to stand by Khawaja’s account, Cummins appeared relaxed during a morning walk in Bronte with Rebecca and their two children as the Sandpapergate controversy resurfaced.
The right-arm fast bowler also made clear that he would not revisit the scandal after delivering his response at Friday’s press conference.
Wearing casual clothes, Cummins walked alongside Rebecca, their children and their dog through the local neighbourhood.
The informal outing contrasted sharply with his direct, combative press conference in Sydney, which lasted well over an hour.
“When Khawaja says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100 per cent wrong,” Cummins said.
Cummins appeared far more relaxed than during his forceful Sydney press conference, which ran for well over an hour
After Warner’s criticism, Cricket Australia said all players had been invited to speak during the original inquiry and could submit new evidence during the following eight years
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said on Tuesday that the investigation would not be reopened
“I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. [Usman] says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball-tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense.
“It’s something I’ve actually been grappling with the last couple of days… Usman is a friend, but I think the way he’s been quite casual and flippant with people’s lives and reputations… I don’t think that’s okay, and I don’t think that’s what friends do.”
The family walk followed footage earlier in the week showing Cummins engaged in an animated conversation with Rebecca outside their home.
Cummins joked about the incident on Friday, revealing that his wife had actually been upset with Khawaja.
“It’s… very comical. Becky wears her heart on her sleeve. We weren’t having a spat. Becky was very frustrated, animated and really not happy with Usman,” Cummins said.
“She’s always just said to be honest and tell the details and put your washing away.
“I’ve been with Becky since well before that tour, so she’s seen everything. She leaves it all with me. So, she’s just saying, like, show your emotion because there are a lot of people here hurting.”
Cricket Australia responded last week to the allegations Khawaja made in his book.
“All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process,” a spokesperson said.