Aussie cricket spat gets ugly as Cummins, Khawaja and Warner clash

November 13, 2026 at 9:55 AM
Add as Preferred Source

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has strongly rejected Usman Khawaja’s allegations over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, prompting a sharp response from former opener David Warner, who accused Cummins of throwing Khawaja “under the bus”.

Speaking at a 70-minute press conference in Sydney on Friday (13), Cummins described Khawaja’s claims that the entire Australian team knew about the use of sandpaper during the 2018 Test series against South Africa as “complete and utter nonsense”.

Cummins insisted he had no knowledge of the illegal ball-tampering operation and rejected suggestions that he or other players had helped devise the plan.

The Australian captain also said Khawaja was “100 per cent wrong” to suggest that all players knew sandpaper was being taken onto the field.

Cummins expressed disappointment over the allegations published in Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, saying they had damaged the reputations of several individuals.

However, Warner hit back at Cummins during Fox Cricket’s coverage of Australia’s opening ODI against England on Friday, defending Khawaja’s account.

“I still stick by Uzzy and what he’s written in that book, because it is the truth, and I really, really support him,” Warner said.

“I actually feel for him at the moment. I actually feel that today, the captain threw Uzzy under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that.”

Warner maintained that Cricket Australia’s original investigation into the scandal had been mishandled and said the consequences continued to affect those involved.

The former Australian opener, who received a 12-month suspension following the scandal, has repeatedly supported Khawaja’s version of events.

Khawaja’s autobiography has reignited controversy over the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, which resulted in 12-month bans for Warner and Steve Smith and a nine-month suspension for Cameron Bancroft.

The latest public disagreement has exposed conflicting accounts among former Australian teammates more than eight years after one of cricket’s biggest controversies. (Newswire)