Harry Brook refused to take the bait.
Facing a barrage of questions on Thursday ahead of England's white-ball tour opener at Perth Stadium, the England captain flatly distanced himself from the ghost that still haunts Australian cricket: the March 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. Brook was barely out of school when Cameron Bancroft slipped yellow sandpaper down his trousers at Newlands. Six years later, with fresh revelations dragging the episode back into the glare, Brook shut the door on the circus.
He wants runs, not historical inquests.
I've never seen any ball tampering before. I wasn't in that dressing room. I think I was about 17 or 18 years old, so I was completely oblivious to any of that stuff.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Perth, Brook made it clear that past Australian transgressions have zero bearing on the white-ball clash beginning Friday. England face a formidable Australian squad on their home patch, and Brook intends to keep his squad locked on the immediate assignment.
"We're here in Australia, we're looking forward to this series, and all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and getting ourselves as ready as possible," Brook said. "We're just trying to concentrate on ourselves at the minute. That's all we can do. We're here to play against a strong Australian side in their backyard."
The controversy flared up again after explosive excerpts emerged from Usman Khawaja's newly released autobiography. In the book, the veteran Australian batter alleged that the entire Australian dressing room knew about the scheme to alter the condition of the ball during the ill-fated third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2018.
Khawaja went further, alleging that the illicit tactic had already been deployed during the preceding second Test at Port Elizabeth—now known as Gqeberha. Former Australian opener David Warner backed Khawaja's account. Warner was one of three players centrally penalized in the aftermath, copping a 12-month international ban and a lifetime leadership sanction that cricket authorities finally overturned in 2024.
| Sandpapergate Milestone & Disciplinary Record | Details Documented in Dossier |
|---|---|
| Original Incident Window | March 2018 Test Series (South Africa vs. Australia) |
| Alleged Venues | Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) & Cape Town (Newlands) |
| Key Khawaja Allegation | Entire Australian team was aware of sandpaper deployment |
| Warner Sanction | One-year playing ban; lifetime leadership ban (rescinded 2024) |
| Brook's Age in March 2018 | Approximately 17 to 18 years old |
Brook is no stranger to the cauldron of Perth. He holds fond memories of the venue from England's previous Ashes tour, where Optus Stadium served as the staging ground for raw pace and electric crowds.
"Australia against England is always a good series, and we're looking forward to kickstarting it," Brook said. "We're very happy to be out here. We're all really raring to go here at Optus Stadium, which is where the last Ashes started. It's an amazing place to play cricket. The atmosphere when we played here was unbelievable."
The opening ODI gets underway on Friday in Perth, pitting Brook's revamped white-ball lineup directly against Australia's battle-tested core.