Australia’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has dismissed his former teammate Usman Khawaja’s allegations related to the sangpapergate in 2018. Cummins cleared the air in a press conference that lasted over an hour at Cricket Central in Sydney. The pacer says he didn’t know about sandpaper being used in the Cape Town Test, as Khawaja claims in his autobiography ‘SABR’. He said Khawaja’s comments shocked him.
"When he says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he's 100% wrong," Cummins said. "I've said that consistently for the last eight years, I did not know that was happening.
"But I think Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that.
"He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball-tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense. I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam [Bancroft] to be careful when using sandpaper.”
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Cummins is disappointed in his ‘friend’ Usman for putting his teammates’ reputations at risk.
"That's not the Usman that I know. It's not the Usman that I think, or that has been part of a team that's helped rebuild this Australian cricket culture over the last eight years, and you know the Usman that would have stopped that from happening there and then. Usman's a friend, but friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations,” said the pacer.
"In his book, Ussie has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket.
"I support his right to tell a story 100%. I'm really glad that he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do."
Cummins on alleged sandpaper use before Cape Town Test
Cummins also addressed Khawaja's allegation that the Australian players used sandpaper on the boundary edge in the Port Elizabeth Test (now Gqeberha) before the start of a session. He called up a few teammates and expressed how he was unpleasantly surprised by it.
"That was news to me this week," Cummins said. "I had no idea. Even chatting a couple of guys, that was a revelation to us. That was one of the things that really surprised me because that doesn't happen anymore.
"The umpires give the ball out to you in the middle, so I don't remember that. I remember growing up, used to watch for the umpire dropping the ball, but I genuinely don't remember that being the case. I don't know where that stopped. So that was a revelation to me this week."
Cummins on Khawaja’s appeal for a collective responsibility
In his book, Khawaja went on to say that he wanted the entire Australian team to take ownership of the infamous sandperpagate incident, but a couple of players were not in favour of the idea. Cummins dismissed those claims as well, saying he has no recollection of such a discussion taking place.
"First part, I don't remember any conversation around collective responsibility," Cummins said. "I don't remember any team meeting where he stood up and said, 'Let's all own this as a team'. So then, to follow on, no, I've got no idea who those two people would be because I don't remember ever being asked or having a conversation about it.
"I've spoken to quite a few other people, and [they are] exactly the same. Trying to piece it all together, no one remembers a team meeting where someone stood up and said, 'We got to all own this.'"
Cummins also revealed that he had a conversation with Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg before addressing the media on November 13.
"I actually even spoke to Todd today," Cummins said. "He's like, 'I've read all the investigations. Guys have been very, very consistent this whole time.'"
Should CA reopen the investigation?
Following Khawaja’s allegations, former Australia captain Michael Clarke had called for reopening of the investigation. Cummins has left the decision to CA.
"That's up to CA," Cummins said. "Part of why I think this is still lingering after eight years is there's a lot of context around this, which is hard to explain and hard to articulate, and that's what I want to do today. But there's a very proper way to do things and an improper [way], and I think that investigation was the proper way to do it. Everyone was asked in the circumstances, with a game very quickly after, so yeah, that's for CA. I think you could maybe argue whether the judgments were fair, but what can you do? I got asked all the questions, and answered them all fairly."
Cummins also revealed that he had a conversation with Khawaja. He won’t be filing a defamatory lawsuit against the former opener. He wants everyone to move on from an incident that took place eight years ago.
What’s next for Cummins?
After a 2-1 defeat against South Africa, Cummins is gearing up for the four-Test series at home against New Zealand. He will turn up for New South Wales in Round 5 of the Sheffield Shield 2026-27. In their next match, New South Wales will face Queensland. In the clash starting on November 22, he will be up against Marnus Labuschagne, who is set to face a snub from selectors.
Cummins also shared an update on Steve Smith, who missed the third Test against South Africa due to a neck injury. Cummins expects Smith to be back in action and play a Shield game before the Test series against New Zealand.
The four-Test series begins on December 9 at Perth Stadium. It is going to be a crucial series for Australia as they have slipped to third on the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 standings. They would want to maintain a stellar Test record against New Zealand at home before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2027 on Indian soil, which begins on January 21 in Nagpur.