Sydney (Sports Desk): Australian captain Pat Cummins has rejected allegations made by Usman Khawaja regarding the 2018 ball-tampering incident, describing them as baseless.
In his statement, Pat Cummins said Usman Khawaja’s claim that the entire Australian team knew about the ball-tampering incident in 2018 was “100 per cent wrong” and complete nonsense. He said he was not part of any plan to use sandpaper, nor had any strategy been devised in this regard.
He said there was no secret plan to tamper with the ball and no team meeting had been held on the matter. He was unaware that sandpaper was being used on the field. According to Cummins, Usman Khawaja is someone who, had he known about the matter, would have tried to stop it.
The Australian captain said he was deeply surprised by Khawaja’s allegations. Some of the allegations made in his book could potentially be defamatory, but he had no intention of taking legal action against him. Cummins said he had spoken to Khawaja earlier this week, but was now reflecting on the changes in their relationship. He had not expected such remarks from his friend.
Pat Cummins further said he was unaware of any meeting held to accept collective responsibility for the ball-tampering incident. He was questioned during the initial investigation and had told the truth. In his view, the punishments handed to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were excessively harsh. However, reopening an incident that took place 8 years ago was affecting players and their families.
He said Usman Khawaja’s allegations had damaged the reputations of several people, including himself. Khawaja was his friend, but friends should be careful when it comes to each other’s lives and reputations.
Meanwhile, former Australian cricketer David Warner, who was punished in the ball-tampering scandal, reacted to Cummins’ press conference by saying that he supported the position outlined in Usman Khawaja’s book and believed those statements to be true.
David Warner said Pat Cummins had arrived at the press conference fully prepared and that he felt the captain had put Usman Khawaja in a difficult position. He said he was deeply disappointed by the response, adding that three players had paid a heavy price for the incident and had not spoken about the matter for 8 years.