Cummins Rejects Khawaja's Sandpaper Claims in Memoir

Australian cricketer Pat Cummins has publicly rejected claims about sandpaper and ball-tampering made in a memoir by Usman Khawaja, titled Sabr. Speaking at a press conference, Cummins said he was genuinely shocked by comments in the book, according to The Guardian.

Ball-tampering is the illegal alteration of the ball's surface, a practice that can give bowlers an advantage. The allegations in the memoir relate to what has been called sandpapergate, and they centre on what players knew and planned.

Cummins took issue most directly with Khawaja's claim that "we all knew" sandpaper was going out on the field. He said that claim was 100% wrong. Cummins said he did not know sandpaper was being taken onto the field.

He also rejected the suggestion that he and others were the architects of a scheme to ball-tamper with sandpaper, calling the allegation "complete and utter nonsense." Cummins said there was no master plan around using illegal methods. He said there was no team meeting at which bowlers said "this is what must happen" about ball-tampering.

Cummins described his own experience on the field. He said that while fielding, he did not see anything on the ball to indicate it had been altered with sandpaper.