Sydney, Nov 12 (PTI) Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is ready to give his side of the story after Usman Khawaja’s explosive allegations in his autobiography, saying he needed time to understand the claims before responding.
Khawaja’s book, ‘Sabr’, which was released on Tuesday, has reignited the controversy surrounding the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018, with the former batter alleging that the entire team knew about the plan to use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball.
He claimed that then captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft were made scapegoats by cricket administrators despite the alleged wider knowledge within the team.
Cummins said he would be available to speak to the media on Friday at Cricket Central, where he is scheduled to train ahead of the New South Wales Sheffield Shield match.
“I’m training at Cricket Central tomorrow morning before the Blues play in the Shield match,” Cummins wrote on ‘X’.
“Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week at 9.30 am. 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.”
Khawaja has withdrawn from interviews promoting his autobiography after facing criticism following an interview with a broadcaster where he struggled to address questions about the allegations on Tuesday evening. He was pointedly asked whether the four front-line bowlers, Pat Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, had been part of discussions around ball-tampering.
Khawaja was also asked directly whether current Test captain Cummins knew in advance about the use of sandpaper. He refused to answer the questions, insisting that he had merely told his “truth” in the book.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke had questioned Cummins’ silence over the controversy, insisting that the Australian team needed to establish what had transpired.
Speaking on 2DayFM’s Breakfast with Nath & Emma, the former skipper expressed surprise that the current captain was yet to publicly address the allegations.
“I can’t believe we haven’t heard from Pat Cummins yet, the Australian captain,” Clarke said.
He also pointed to the impact of the 2018 scandal on Australian cricket’s leadership structure, suggesting Cummins may not have risen to the captaincy had Steve Smith not been stripped of the role in its aftermath.
The Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA), meanwhile, has urged an end to the furore reignited by Khawaja’s claims that the entire team was involved in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. PTI ATK BS
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