Cricket Australia Backs Pat Cummins as Usman Khawaja Revives 2018 Ball-Tampering Controversy

Cricket Australia has dug its heels in behind Pat Cummins.

A fresh storm broke over Australian cricket this week after former batter Usman Khawaja published explosive claims in his autobiography, Sabr. Khawaja alleged every single player on the ill-fated 2018 tour of South Africa knew about the plan to alter the condition of the ball. The revelation reopened old scars from the Cape Town sandpaper scandal and ignited immediate calls for a fresh probe. Yet the governing board moved quickly to shut down any question mark hovering over its Test skipper.

Cricket Australia chairman David Boon stated unambiguously that Cummins’ position at the helm remains ironclad, rejecting calls to revisit the darkest chapter in modern Australian cricket history.

Boon made it clear the board will not be dragged into retrospective cross-examinations.

"I respect Usman’s point of view and his recollections of what occurred, and they’re his, but we don’t want to get into a he-said-she-said argument," Boon said. "There are going to be supporters, there’s going to be other guys that don’t recollect the same thing, so I don’t see a purpose."

His remarks mirror the stance of Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg, who confirmed on Tuesday that the governing body sees no compelling reason to reopen the investigation.

Khawaja’s Book Widens the Target to Port Elizabeth

Khawaja’s autobiography did not stop at Cape Town.

In Sabr, released this week, the veteran opener claimed Australia also tampered with the ball during the second Test in Port Elizabeth—days before Cameron Bancroft was caught on broadcast cameras running sandpaper across the leather at Newlands. That claim drastically widens the blast radius beyond the trio originally sanctioned: Bancroft, Steve Smith, and David Warner, all of whom served suspensions in 2018.

Warnermay have moved past his ban, but he has aligned himself with Khawaja’s account. Former Test fast bowler Chadd Sayers, who took part in that 2018 series, also threw his weight behind Khawaja last weekend, describing the allegations as "accurate."

Dressing Room Fractures and Denials

Not everyone in that dressing room agrees with Khawaja. Far from it.

Former national batting coach Graeme Hick delivered a blistering refutation, branding Khawaja's version of events a wholesale fabrication.

"In regard to any discussions around the ball-tampering in Port Elizabeth or Cape Town that took place, I will say in true honesty that I did not hear or know anything," Hick said, calling the allegations "absolutely false."

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc also stood firm on his denial of any advance knowledge. The pushback echoes a fiery joint statement issued in 2021 by Australia’s front-line bowling quartet—Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon—in which all four swore they had no inkling that a foreign substance was being carried onto the field at Newlands until the footage flashed onto the stadium big screen.

Cummins has avoided unvetted remarks so far. He took to X to signal that a formal response is imminent.

"I've taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy's allegations so I can respond properly," Cummins posted, setting his public address for Friday.

Before Cummins steps to the microphone, white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh—who also played in that 2018 Test series—faces the press in Perth ahead of Australia's upcoming one-day international against England.