Arabic version: كامينز يرفض مزاعم ورق الصنفرة في سيدني
According to The Guardian, Australian Test captain Pat Cummins answered questions for 70 minutes at Cricket Central in Sydney after allegations in Usman Khawaja’s book Sabr reopened debate about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Cummins said Khawaja was “100% wrong” if he meant the team knew sandpaper was being taken onto the field.
Cummins rejected a claim that he and others had been architects of a sandpaper ball-tampering scheme, calling it “complete and utter nonsense”. He said there had been no masterplan or team meeting in which bowlers directed illegal methods. Cummins said he had seen illegal ball tampering only once before the South Africa tour, when a senior batter took a bottle cap onto the field in a Shield match and umpires dealt with it.
He said players had discussed methods including superglue, zippers, nail polish and Murray Mints, but maintained he had never seen those used by the Australian team. Cummins also said sandpaper was normally carried for batters and used on balls during training, alongside other methods intended to prepare players for reverse swing. He said that context did not make it acceptable to take sandpaper onto the field.
Addressing the culture of the 2018 side, Cummins said it had a “win-at-all-costs mentality”, an “ugly underbelly” and too many silos. Recalling his 13th Test as a 24-year-old, he said the team’s conduct could be abrasive and arrogant, including how players spoke to umpires and opponents. As captain, he said he had worked for six years to ensure the current side was different.
Cummins described Khawaja as a friend but said friends should not be casual with each other’s lives and reputations. He said the episode had been traumatic for some people and expressed disappointment at how the matter had been handled. Cummins also said he believed the sanctions following Cricket Australia’s investigation had been too heavy-handed, while rejecting any suggestion that this meant everyone had known about sandpaper. He said he had received advice that some statements in the book were probably defamatory, but would not take legal action.
