Sometimes an old wound resurfaces through the simplest of pictures: a captain on a Sydney street, his wife speaking while he listens, and a camera recording a moment whose meaning no one can yet read. The image arrives because a former teammate has returned to the 2018 Sandpaper affair, the ball-tampering scheme that cost three men their places and pressed a national game to examine its own conscience. Khawaja's autobiography Sabr has reopened a question the sport believed it had closed, and Pat Cummins, who was not implicated in the episode, now finds himself carrying it into the next season.
Pat Cummins seen in animated exchange with wife as Khawaja's Sandpaper claims reopen 2018 scandal
The footage shows an exchange and nothing more.
Mark
Why is this a story at all? A couple talking on a street seems like nothing.
Mimi
It's the timing. It's Cummins's first public appearance since Khawaja's claims, so the footage gets read as a reaction, even though it shows only a conversation.
Luke
And that's the gap. We have video of an animated exchange. We don't know what it was about, and nothing confirms any link to the book. Cummins appears quiet, which tells us very little.
Mark
What exactly is Khawaja claiming?
Mimi
That the entire dressing room knew about the 2018 plan. Warner has supported that. It differs in emphasis from the official outcome, where three players were suspended.
Luke
Worth noting that the claim is attributed to Khawaja and backed by Warner. The reporting doesn't offer independent confirmation, and Khawaja gave little detail.
Mark
Why did he cancel his media appearances?
Mimi
After the 7.30 interview, where he was asked about the bowlers not admitting they knew. He wouldn't go there.
Luke
He also said he's sometimes deliberately vague because he's telling a story. That's his own description, and readers should weigh it.
Mark
And Cummins's position?
Mimi
That it was dealt with, the group has moved on, and Khawaja told him to expect no problem with telling his story.
El Pulso
- A former teammate's autobiography claims the whole 2018 dressing room knew about the ball-tampering plan, and the claim lands like a fresh blow on a bruise the game thought had healed.
- Footage of Pat Cummins in a tense-looking exchange with his wife Becky in Sydney turns a book controversy into a street-level spectacle.
- Cummins insists the matter was dealt with years ago and the group has moved on, while Khawaja refuses to name the bowlers he says were involved.
- Khawaja has cancelled his remaining book appearances after a rough ABC interview, leaving the questions hanging with no clear answer in sight.
- With four Tests against New Zealand approaching, the 2018 scandal is set to follow Cummins into the next stretch of the season, and the game is waiting to see whether anyone else from that group speaks.
Sometimes an old wound resurfaces through the simplest of pictures: a captain on a Sydney street, his wife speaking while he listens, and a camera recording a moment whose meaning no one can yet read. The image arrives because a former teammate has returned to the 2018 Sandpaper affair, the ball-tampering scheme that cost three men their places and pressed a national game to examine its own conscience. Khawaja's autobiography Sabr has reopened a question the sport believed it had closed, and Pat Cummins, who was not implicated in the episode, now finds himself carrying it into the next season. What is known is modest; what remains is the old human question of how much a group remembers, and how much it chooses to forget.
On a Sydney street, footage published by The Australian shows Pat Cummins and his wife, Becky, in what looks like a heated conversation. Cummins says little while Becky does most of the talking, and the pair then walk into a nearby property. It is the captain's first public appearance since Usman Khawaja made new claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. The footage shows an exchange and nothing more, and nothing in the reporting ties the conversation to the book.
Khawaja's account appears in his autobiography, Sabr, released on Tuesday. He claims the entire Australian dressing room knew of the plan to tamper with the ball during the South Africa series in 2018, the episode that led Cricket Australia to suspend Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Warner, who was himself involved, has backed Khawaja's version.
Cummins has already answered questions on the matter. It was a long time ago, he said, the investigations were done at the time, and the group has moved on. He was happy with the last eight or nine years and how the team has evolved. Khawaja had not gone into much detail with him, and Cummins's response was simply to let him tell his story.
Khawaja, however, has pulled his remaining media appearances after a difficult interview on ABC's 7.30. Asked whether he was upset that the bowlers had not admitted knowing about the plan, he said he had been open about what he saw, and that he is sometimes specific and sometimes vague on purpose because he is telling a story. When pressed on the bowlers' involvement, he declined to say more.
Cummins is resting after Australia's white-ball series against England and is preparing for four Tests against New Zealand. The questions about 2018 will follow him into that stretch. Whether Khawaja says more, or someone else from that group responds, is what to watch.
On a Sydney street, footage published by The Australian on Wednesday shows Pat Cummins and his wife, Becky, in what looks like a heated conversation. Cummins, in a T-shirt and shorts, appears to say little while Becky does most of the talking. The two then walk into a nearby property. It is the Australian captain's first public appearance since Usman Khawaja made new claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, known as Sandpaper-gate.
The footage shows an exchange and nothing more. What the couple discussed is not known, and nothing in the reporting ties the conversation to Khawaja's book.
Khawaja's account appears in his autobiography, Sabr, released on Tuesday. He claims the entire Australian dressing room knew of the plan to tamper with the ball during the 2018 Test series in South Africa. His version of events covers the episode that led Cricket Australia to suspend Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. David Warner, who was himself involved, has backed Khawaja's claims.
Cummins had already been asked about the possibility that Khawaja might say something different from what the official investigation found. He answered that it was a long time ago, that the investigations were done at the time, and that he had answered every question a million times. As a group, he said, Australia had moved on, and he was very happy with the last eight or nine years and how the team has evolved. He added that Khawaja had not gone into much detail with him, and that his response was the usual one: no worries, tell your story, that's fine.
Khawaja, for his part, has pulled his remaining media appearances for the book after a difficult interview on ABC's 7.30 program. He was asked whether he was upset that the bowlers had not admitted knowing about the plan to rough up the ball with sandpaper. He said he had given his statement about what happened the game before, and that he had been open and honest about what he saw and the conversations he had. Sometimes, he said, he is very specific and sometimes a bit vague, and he does that on purpose because he is trying to tell a story.
Pressed again on the bowlers' involvement, he declined. He said he was not going to entertain the question and would not speak any further on it at this moment.
Cummins is currently resting after Australia's two white-ball series against England. He is preparing for four Tests against New Zealand, so the questions about 2018 will follow him into the next stretch of the season. Whether Khawaja says more, or whether anyone else from that 2018 group responds, is the thing to watch.
Citas Notables
It was dealt with then, all I can say is as a group we've moved on.— Pat Cummins
I'm not going to entertain that.— Usman Khawaja, on the bowlers' involvement
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