Arabic version: مارش يتهرّب من الأسئلة بشأن مزاعم خواجة عن ورق الصنفرة

According to The Guardian, Australia white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh declined to answer questions about ball tampering during Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa before the first one-day international against England in Perth. Marsh, who was part of the Test side in South Africa eight years ago, said his focus was on leading Australia in the upcoming white-ball series.

Questions followed allegations in Usman Khawaja’s memoir, Sabr, that more than the three players banned over the 2018 incident knew about the plan, and that sandpaper was used during the preceding Test. Khawaja has called for all players to take collective responsibility.

Marsh said he had not read the book but had spoken with his former teammate before its release. He would not describe their phone call or revisit his recollections of the tour. “I’ve personally moved on,” Marsh said, adding that he respected that others may not have done so.

Then Australia captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft received lengthy Cricket Australia suspensions after the governing body’s investigation. Bancroft was filmed handling sandpaper during the third Test in Cape Town. Marsh played in that match but did not join a 2021 statement from Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon denying knowledge of a foreign substance being taken onto the field.

Cricket Australia said there was “no compelling reason” to reopen its investigation in light of Khawaja’s book. Starc reaffirmed on Tuesday that he and the players who issued the 2021 statement did not know of a plan to take anything onto the field at Newlands. Cummins said he would address media in Sydney after taking time to understand the allegations.