No new investigation into sandpaper scandal, Cricket Australia stands firm

Cricket Australia (CA) will not open a new investigation into the much-discussed ball-tampering scandal of 2018. Despite the recent comments of Usman Khawaja and David Warner, the organisation wants to stand by its earlier investigation.

On Tuesday, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg told local radio station SEN that they see no reasonable cause to start a fresh investigation.

Khawaja's recently published autobiography claims that during the 2018 tour of South Africa, there were open discussions within the team about a plan to alter the ball. Even the use of sandpaper to rough up the ball came up in discussion. According to Khawaja, the matter was not confined to batters, bowlers or team officials. The whole team knew about it.

Greenberg said, however, that Khawaja's account differs from what other members of the team have said. He said the book contains some specific information that conflicts with the accounts given by others, but added that they are satisfied with the outcome of the investigation on the basis of the information they received.

Greenberg added that they have also taken into account the information received from Usman. He said their position on the matter has not changed, and they see no compelling reason to open the investigation again or revisit the matter. He said he does not think anything new would be gained from it.

Former Australian opener Warner has backed Khawaja's account. In a video posted on social media on Monday, he described Khawaja's version as 100 percent accurate. At the same time, he criticised Cricket Australia's earlier investigation as flawed and rushed.

After the ball-tampering incident came to light during the Cape Town Test in 2018, Cricket Australia imposed bans and other penalties on Warner, then captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft within four days.

On the other hand, the four Australian bowlers who played in that Test — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon — said in a joint statement in 2021 that they had no idea about the ball-tampering plan.

Starc, who was in the Cape Town Test XI, has now spoken out on the matter too. He recalled what was said in the 2021 joint statement, and has not moved away from the position that the bowlers did not know about the ball tampering.

Starc said, to be honest, he had not paid much attention to it. He said there are of course different opinions about something from eight years ago, and that they had been given strict training at that time and since. He said he would not speak for the bowlers, but speaking from his own position, his view has not changed, and his position has not moved from what they said in 2021.

On Khawaja's claim that ball tampering had also taken place in the Test before Cape Town, Starc said this was the first time he had learned that something like that had happened in Port Elizabeth. He said that in their statement they had said they did not know what was going to happen on the field, and added that he would end it there.

Earlier, in 2021, Bancroft had told The Guardian that there was no reason for their bowlers not to know about the ball tampering. The four bowlers in the Cape Town Test side then said in a joint statement that they knew nothing about it.

Current Australian captain Cummins has also spoken recently about Khawaja's autobiography. Last month in South Africa, he said he had spoken to Khawaja about the book, but did not fear any new controversy over it. Cummins said he had answered every question a million times, and that the matter had been settled back then.

Meanwhile, some commentators have questioned the timing of Khawaja bringing out this information after eight years. They allege he raised the matter to boost sales of his autobiography, Sabr. Former coach Darren Lehmann also described it as a book-selling tactic. But on Tuesday, Khawaja rejected the allegation on social media, saying he is very fortunate and does not need the money.