KHAWAJA’S MEMOIR REOPENS AUSTRALIA’S BALL-TAMPERING SCANDAL

Australian cricket’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal has returned to the spotlight after Usman Khawaja claimed in a new memoir that the entire team knew about the sandpaper scheme.

The allegation prompted captain Pat Cummins to spend more than an hour answering questions in Sydney on Friday, firmly denying prior knowledge or involvement.

The original incident occurred during a Test against South Africa in Cape Town, when Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper to alter the ball. Bancroft, David Warner and then-captain Steve Smith received lengthy bans.

Khawaja wrote that he wanted the team to accept collective responsibility at the time. He has since said he does not want a “witch hunt,” but has declined to specify exactly what individual players knew.

Warner backed Khawaja’s account and criticised Cummins’ response. Smith and Bancroft had not publicly addressed the latest claims at the time of the report.

Cummins rejected what he described as vague allegations and acknowledged feeling hurt that a friend had placed his reputation under scrutiny.

“Friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations,” he said.

The dispute has divided supporters. Some want Australian cricket to move on after eight years, while others believe unresolved questions require fresh scrutiny.

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has ruled out reopening the investigation.

However, academic David Rowe argued that the scandal remains painful because fair play is central to Australia’s sporting identity. He warned that dismissing further questions could prolong suspicion rather than end it.

With Australia’s cricket summer beginning, Cummins said he hoped attention could return to matches. The conflicting accounts suggest the controversy may remain difficult to put aside.