Pat Cummins Hits Back at Usman Khawaja Over 2018 Sandpaper Incident
Pat Cummins talked about Usman Khawaja's statements on the 2018 sandpaper scandal. While Khawaja said that all players knew about it, Cummins stayed firm on his statement that he didn't know about the same. Cummins also said that Khawaja's statements were utter nonsense.
The sandpapergate is back on the headlines, as the Australian skipper, Pat Cummins, decided to have his say on this matter. The incident, which took place in 2018, became a matter of attention when the biography of Usman Khawaja, Sabr, was published.
In this book, Usman Khawaja claimed that everyone knew about the sandpaper being used in the game. While his statements went viral, fans wanted to have a reaction to the same by the Australian skipper, Pat Cummins. At that time, Cummins was also a part of the team, and the statements by Khawaja were some serious allegations.
So, Cummins decided to answer them before the first ODI against England. In a press conference, he said, “I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. But I think Usman actually says things that are far more serious than that. He says that I and others were the architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense. Usman is a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations.”
Our Take
Pat Cummins, similar to the other active Australian stars, was firm with his statements. The years have changed and even the decade has changed, but the players have confirmed that they didn't know about the sandpaper being used in the game. Only Usman Khawaja and David Warner are among the ones to have confirmed that everyone knew about it.