Pat Cummins hits back at Usman Khawaja’s claims over the Sandpaper Gate scandal

Australian captain Pat Cummins has dismissed as baseless and nonsense the claim made by Usman Khawaja that "the entire team was aware of the Sandpaper Gate scandal" during the Cape Town Test 2018 against South Africa, calling him 100 % wrong and “utter nonsense. 

Usman Khawaja recently published his autobiography, in which he mentioned the entire team, including Pat Cummins, knew about the sandpaper scheme. However, Pat Cummins dismissed all the claims during a 68-minute press conference. 

"When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he's 100% wrong. 

“I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening.

"He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense."

Pat Cummins added that he was genuinely shocked that Usman admitted to having encouraged Cameron Bancroft to use sandpaper. He remarked that this was not the Usman he knew.

"I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out Usman admitted that he told Cam [Bancroft] to be careful when using sandpaper. That’s not the Usman that I know," Pat Cummins said.

Following the 2018 Cape Town sandpaper scandal—which saw Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft heavily punished. Fresh light has been shed on the ball-tampering controversy in South Africa as members of that Australia squad step forward to share their perspectives on the Cape Town incident. Now that Cummins has shut down the claims, it will be fascinating to see who finally steps up and tells the full truth.