Warner Says Cricket Australia Never Interviewed Three Bowlers Over Sandpaper Scandal

David Warner says Cricket Australia did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon during its 2018 ball-tampering investigation. He made the claim in an Instagram post on Saturday, and he called the inquiry "shoddy."

The row goes back to the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018. Ball-tampering means illegally altering the ball's surface, and in that match Australian players were caught using sandpaper to do it. Cricket Australia's investigation found that Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith had prior knowledge of the scheme. They were the only players sanctioned.

Warner now says the investigation was flawed. In his post, he said it "stinks of a cover up." He argued that if Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon were never questioned, Cricket Australia cannot claim the bowlers did not know about the plan. All four bowlers, including Pat Cummins, were part of the attack in that Test.

A Cricket Australia spokesperson responded that all players were given the chance to speak when the investigation was first held. The spokesperson added that players have been able to come forward with new evidence in the eight years since.

The dispute has been reignited by Usman Khawaja. In his memoir, Sabr, and in interviews promoting the book, Khawaja made allegations about what happened at the time. Cummins held a press conference on Friday that lasted more than an hour. He said he did not know sandpaper was being taken onto the field at Newlands. He also said he was shocked to learn that Khawaja had admitted telling Bancroft to be careful when using the sandpaper.

Warner responded to Cummins' press conference before Saturday's post. He said Cummins had thrown Khawaja "under the bus." The Instagram statement followed a day later.

For casual fans, the core question is simple. Who knew what, and who was asked? Cricket Australia says every player had an opportunity to give evidence in 2018. Warner says three of the bowlers were not spoken to at all. Those two positions have not been reconciled in public, and no new findings have been announced.

Warner, Bancroft and Smith were the three players sanctioned in 2018. The renewed argument now centres on the people who were not.