Former Australia bowler Chadd Sayers says whole Test side knew of sandpaper plan

Former Australia bowler Chadd Sayers says he believes everyone in the Test side knew about the sandpaper plan in 2018. He has also rejected the account given by captain Pat Cummins, who has denied knowing anything about it.

The scandal centres on ball-tampering, which means illegally altering the ball's surface to help it swing or bounce. In Cape Town in 2018, players used sandpaper on the ball. Cricket Australia investigated, and David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were all punished. Warner has said he was not given all the evidence before he took the heaviest penalty.

Sayers was part of Australia's touring party for that South Africa series. He played his only Test for Australia in the match after the Cape Town incident. Speaking to SEN radio, he said the team sat in the change rooms for 60 to 90 minutes after play that day to talk about what had happened and what came next. That account directly contradicts Cummins' claim that no team meeting was held to discuss collective responsibility, and Sayers rejected that claim.

The row was reignited by Usman Khawaja. In his autobiography, Khawaja alleged that the entire Australian team knew about the plot. He also claimed that Australia had used ball-tampering tactics before. Sayers backed Khawaja's version of events.

Sayers also criticised Cummins for getting personal with Khawaja at his press conference on the scandal. Cummins responded by calling Khawaja's claims "complete nonsense". He repeated his denial that he knew of the ball-tampering plan.

For casual fans, the core question is simple: who knew what, and when. The accounts from the players involved still differ. Sayers' version puts the whole squad in the room after play in Cape Town, while Cummins' version does not.