Pat Cummins denies Usman Khawaja's claims on 2018 Sandpapergate

Australia captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected Usman Khawaja's claims in his upcoming book Sabr that the entire playing XI knew about the use of sandpaper during the 2018 Cape Town Test. Speaking at a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Cummins called the allegation 100 per cent wrong and complete and utter nonsense.

The Controversy

Cummins stated that he personally had no idea teammates were using sandpaper to rough up the ball, adding that he was shocked to learn Khawaja told Cameron Bancroft to be careful. Khawaja's book also alleges that becoming Australian captain required a certain skin colour, which Cummins dismissed as a very serious and baseless statement. Meanwhile, David Warner backed Khawaja's claims on Instagram, calling them 100 per cent accurate.

Context

Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa remains one of cricket's biggest modern scandals, resulting in heavy bans for Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft. The fallout continues to resurface years later as former teammates publish memoirs detailing the events of that series.