Usman Khawaja, David Warner and Pat Cummins (Image credit: Agencies)
Former Australia opener David Warner has continued to back Usman Khawaja following his explosive claims about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate. A few hours after Australia captain Pat Cummins addressed the allegations at a news conference in Sydney, Warner accused him of throwing Khawaja under the bus.
Warner, who was handed a 12-month ban for his role in the 2018 scandal, backed Khawaja’s version of events in his autobiography, Sabr. Because he wanted to put the controversy behind him, he said he was ready to answer questions for as long as required.
“I still stick by Uzzie,” he said. “When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100% wrong,” Cummins said. “I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years.
Khawaja has claimed that all members of the Test team knew about the use of sandpaper during the Cape Town Test against South Africa. This contradicts Cummins’ public statements. The current Australia captain has repeatedly denied knowing about the sandpaper plot. “I actually feel for him at the moment. And I’m very, very disappointed about that. Khawaja’s autobiography has brought the eight-year-old scandal back into the spotlight. In the book, he claimed that the entire team knew about the ball-tampering plan. I did not know that was happening.
I actually feel that the captain today actually threw Uzzie under the bus.