Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has flatly denied Usman Khawaja's allegations that the entire team was implicated in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, calling the claims "complete and utter nonsense" and "100% wrong" at a press conference on 13 November 2026. According to The Guardian, Cummins appeared before dozens of reporters and cameras at NSW's headquarters in Sydney to refute the allegations aired in his former teammate's memoir, Sabr, and said he had no knowledge of the ball tampering plot in South Africa. BBC Sport reported that Cummins spoke for one hour and eight minutes in an extraordinary address to the media, promising to answer all questions because he did not want to discuss the matter again.
Khawaja's autobiography, released on 10 November 2026, has reignited Australia's ball-tampering scandal from 2018. In his book, the former batter alleged that the use of sandpaper to alter the cricket ball was far more widespread than the original investigation concluded, claiming it occurred earlier in the Test series at Port Elizabeth and that the entire team possessed knowledge of the scheme. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Khawaja wrote that he knew about the ball tampering and was not opposed to it, describing himself as complicit, though he said he did not personally tamper with the ball himself.
What did Cummins say at the press conference?
Cummins stated unequivocally that he did not know sandpaper was being taken onto the field.
When he says we all knew, if by that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he's 100% wrong. I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense.
The captain emphasised that there was no coordinated plan to use illegal methods.
I think that's maybe something that hasn't been spoken about enough. People assume you have gone from very legal methods to suddenly taking sandpaper and then must have been some huge master plan. That is not the case. There's no grand plan, there's no bowlers saying, 'this is what must happen'.
Cummins acknowledged that Khawaja is a friend but said the allegations had damaged their relationship.
Usman is a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations. In his book he's been casual with my life and the lives of many others and, I think, Australian cricket. I support him to tell his story, 100%, I'm glad he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.He added that he had texted with Khawaja briefly since the memoir was released but did not elaborate on the nature of their correspondence.
What triggered this controversy?
The scandal originated during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018, when opening batter Cameron Bancroft was caught on television using sandpaper against one side of the cricket ball. An investigation at that time revealed the tampering was planned by captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner. All three men—Smith, Warner, and Bancroft—received bans from international and local cricket as a result.
Khawaja's account indicates that an unnamed coach urged Bancroft to use more of the tampering tactic at Cape Town, telling him, "Whatever you're doing, we need more of it." According to the ABC, Khawaja's account says the plan began before the first Test in Durban, after a coaching staff member urged the team to make the ball move in the air.
How have other players responded?
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc has already broken his silence on the allegations. Starc denied knowledge of sandpaper being used before the Cape Town Test or during the Newlands match itself, maintaining his position from a statement issued by the bowlers in 2021.
As far as our statement said, we weren't aware of things being taken on the field, that's where I'll leave it. We weren't aware anything was taken on to the field to be tampered with. We saw [the sandpaper] on the big screen in Cape Town.He added that he has not read Khawaja's book and does not intend to, stating:
I'll stick to what I said five years ago, what I said at the time, eight years ago. Clearly, there's different versions from different people, and I'll leave it where I left it back then.
However, David Warner has taken a markedly different stance. According to ESPN, Warner publicly said Khawaja's account was "100% accurate." Meanwhile, Khawaja himself has clarified his position, saying that "all of us" meant the team shared responsibility, while maintaining that he would not deny that everyone knew what was happening, according to BBC Sport. The allegations have also been rejected by Darren Lehmann, who was the Australia head coach at the time, and former England batter Graeme Hick, one of Lehmann's assistants.
Will Cummins pursue legal action?
When asked whether he was considering taking legal action for the claims aired in the book, Cummins said he had received advice that some of the allegations were "probably defamatory" but said he would not pursue that course.
You've got to move on. It's been eight years … You got to draw the line at some point. I won't be doing that.
What does Cummins say about the 2018 team culture?
Cummins did concede that the 2018 Australian men's team had a "win-at-all cost mentality" and an "ugly underbelly" which he said he had tried to eradicate in his past six years as captain.
I thought that the way we acted on the field was quite abrasive. I didn't like the way we spoke to umpires, the opposition. I think there was a bit of an arrogance and a bit of an ugliness at times that didn't sit well with me as a young guy. And now I'm captain, I have spent a lot of time making sure that that's not the case with this current Aussie team.
During the press conference, Cummins also addressed other matters. He said he believed the one-year bans handed to Smith and Warner, and the nine-month suspension given to Bancroft, were "heavy handed." He also stated he had no recollection of Australia tampering with the ball during the 2017-18 Ashes series against England, and that he had been in contact with Khawaja and Smith since the book was published, but not Warner. Cummins explained that sandpaper would sometimes be present in the dressing room because bowlers used it in training to practise with a reverse-swinging ball.
Will Cricket Australia reopen its investigation?
Cricket Australia has declined to reopen its inquiry into the scandal despite the fresh allegations. According to ESPN, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said the 2018 investigation would not be reopened; it had focused on events at Newlands. The original investigation concluded that only Smith, Warner, and Bancroft were involved in planning the ball-tampering scheme. According to BBC Sport, Cummins said he had met with Greenberg, who has reviewed the files from the original investigation.
What happens next?
Following his press conference, Cummins planned to support New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield match. According to Cricket Australia's fixture schedule, New South Wales are scheduled to play Queensland in a Sheffield Shield match from 21–25 November 2026.
