Eight years after cricket was rocked by the scandal which became known as “Sandpapergate”, the controversy has been reignited.
Former batter Usman Khawaja released his autobiography in which he said the entire Australia team knew about the scheme and should have taken responsibility.
Captain Pat Cummins hit back in a news conference on Friday, saying Khawaja’s claims were “100% wrong” and “nonsense”.
That news conference lasted for over an hour at the end of a week which has reopened old wounds and pitted former team-mates against each other.
Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were punished for tampering with the ball using sandpaper in Australia’s Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018.
Khawaja has been supported by Warner and Chadd Sayers, a seam bowler who was part of the Australia squad on the 2018 tour of South Africa.
But Darren Lehmann – who was then the head coach – is among those to have rejected Khawaja’s accusations, as are the former England batter Graeme Hick, who was one of his assistants, and Mitchell Starc, another bowler on the tour.
In Khawaja’s book, published this week, he alleges Australia were urged to find ways to get the ball to swing by a coach and that Bancroft was later encouraged to cheat.
The fallout from Khawaja’s autobiography has caused divides across Australian sport.
Here is how the Australian newspapers on Saturday have reacted to the latest chapter – Cummins’ extraordinary news conference.
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Image source, AustralianImage caption, The Australian say “Captain Pat throws the book at Khawaja”, including a quote where he says “Uzzie’s been casual with my life and the lives of others, and I think Australian cricket”
Image source, Sydney Morning Herald
Image source, Age
Image source, West Australian
Image source, Courier Mail1 of 5
Previous imageNext imageSlide 1 of 5, The Australian’s headline says “Captain Pat throws the book at Khawaja”, The Australian say “Captain Pat throws the book at Khawaja”, including a quote where he says “Uzzie’s been casual with my life and the lives of others, and I think Australian cricket”End of image gallery
