Pat Cummins isn’t sweating it. Australia’s cricket captain has already had a chat with former teammate Usman Khawaja about his upcoming autobiography, and Cummins claims he’s got “no concerns” about any fresh revelations regarding the infamous 2018 “sandpapergate” scandal. It’s a bold stance, especially with Australia heading back to South Africa, the scene of the original crime.
The Elephant in the Room in South Africa
Australia is heading back to South Africa for their first Test series there since the 2018 ball-tampering mess blew up in Cape Town. Remember that drama? Captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and batter Cameron Bancroft all got banned for their part in the cheating. The big question always hovered over the bowlers: Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. They all played in that match, and they’ve all consistently denied any prior knowledge of the plan to cheat. These four, who even put out a joint statement about the episode in 2021, are set to be reunited on the field in the first Test against South Africa in Durban. Khawaja, who played all four Tests in 2018 and retired from international cricket in January, has his book dropping in November.
So what’s Cummins’ take on it all? He spilled the beans on their conversation, saying, “Uz gave me a buzz a few weeks back that he is releasing a book. He didn’t go into too much detail, just basically gave me the heads-up that he is doing a book and, as always, no worries. Tell your story. It’s fine.” He insists it’s “a long time ago” and that “all the investigations, everything was done back then and we answered every question a million times.” Cummins added, “It was dealt with then and all I can say is that as a group, we have moved on and we are very happy with the last eight to nine years how we have been as a group and evolved and obviously my focus is on captaining the cricket team.” Sounds like he’s trying to close the book before it’s even open, right?
The Unanswered Questions That Still Sting
Smith explained back then that the plot was cooked up by the “leadership group” on day three of the third Test in Cape Town. Bancroft got caught red-handed rubbing sandpaper on the ball that same day. While Smith, Warner, and Bancroft, all batters, took the heat, there was never a clear explanation for how bowlers like Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, and Lyon supposedly didn’t notice the ball changing. That’s always been the head-scratcher for fans.
Bancroft’s 2021 interview with The Guardian only fueled the fire. Asked if the bowlers knew, he just said, “It’s pretty probably self-explanatory.” Oof. Days after that interview, the bowlers responded with their joint statement: “We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands.” They even pointed out that the umpires during that Test match inspected the ball after the images surfaced and didn’t change it because there was “no sign of damage.” They finished with a plea: “We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo. It has gone on too long and it is time to move on.” Starc echoed that vibe recently, asking, “What’s left to come out after eight years?” And Cummins, speaking on Thursday, called the whole episode “a long time ago.” He told ABC, “It’s nothing new. We’ve spoken about it a little bit. If the crowd gets rowdy or whatever, if someone needs an extra helping hand, we’re around. To be honest, it’s so long ago and we, as a group, move on from things pretty quickly. It hasn’t taken up too much of our time.”
This trip to South Africa isn’t just a regular series, it’s the first in a year of big-time away series for Australia. While Cummins tries to brush off the past, the whole cricket world will be watching closely when Australia takes the field for that first Test in Durban. Will Khawaja’s book reopen old wounds, or are they truly ready to put this behind them? Get ready.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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