Usman Khawaja and David Warner. (Getty Images)
The controversy surrounding Australia’s 2018 Sandpapergate scandal has taken another turn, with former captain Michael Clarke joining the growing chorus demanding that Cricket Australia (CA) reopen its investigation following Usman Khawaja ‘s explosive revelations. Clarke said the opportunity to establish the complete truth had been missed in 2018 and again when Bancroft made comments about the involvement of other players in a 2021 interview with The Guardian. “We had the chance in 2018. We had the chance in 2021 when (Cameron Bancroft) made those comments (to The Guardian). Starc, meanwhile, reiterated that his recollection had not changed from the position outlined in the joint statement issued by Australia’s four frontline bowlers in 2021.
Because certain players have come out and said they didn’t.
Clarke believes Australian cricket fans have still not received the complete truth about the ball-tampering episode and said the issue would continue to haunt the game until the investigation was revisited. They don’t know the truth – until this (investigation) gets reopened and the truth comes out,” Clarke said on 2DayFM’s Breakfast with Nath & Emma. I would just like to see whatever the truth is for it all to come out, allow people to finally tell the truth, and move on,” he said.
“We haven’t moved on. Australian fans have not moved on. They can’t trust what’s real. The truth didn’t come out. Now we’ve got this opportunity. “For me, right now, there’s more questions than answers. I want to know, firstly, did everyone know? I want to know: did they know or not? That’s important information so we can get the truth. And did it happen in the game before? That’s also what I’m hearing, that (it didn’t just happen) in Cape Town,” Clarke added. The latest developments have exposed sharply contrasting positions among members of the Australian side involved in the scandal.
His comments come amid contrasting accounts from former teammates, with David Warner backing Khawaja’s version, Mitchell Starc standing by the bowlers’ earlier statement and CA chief executive Todd Greenberg ruling out another probe.