Cummins calls Khawaja's sandpaper-scandal claims 'utter nonsense' and denies any knowledge of plot

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has denied former teammate Usman Khawaja's claims that the entire Australian team was involved in the 2018 sandpaper scandal, dismissing them as nonsense. He spoke at a press conference at Cricket New South Wales headquarters in Sydney, a week after the allegations surfaced in Khawaja's memoir, Sabr, and answered questions for more than an hour. Cummins said he had no knowledge of the ball-tampering plot in South Africa and did not know sandpaper was being used on the field. Cricket Australia had earlier handed long suspensions to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft after a short investigation. Khawaja alleges that more than those three players knew of the plans and that sandpaper was also used during the preceding Test, and he has called for the whole team to take collective responsibility.

The Guardian, a left-leaning outlet, leads with Cummins' defiant press conference and features his remarks that Khawaja remains a friend and that he had been grappling over whether their relationship was harmed. It gives Khawaja's book and his call for collective responsibility more space. The Washington Times, right-leaning, leads with the same denial, uses the 'Sandpapergate' label, and calls the episode a 'cheating scandal that rocked cricket.' Its brief excerpt centers on Cummins rejecting knowledge of the sandpaper plan and omits the press conference and friendship details. Reuters, an alternative source, largely matches the Guardian's core denial. Both sides agree on the denial and the core allegations, but the left emphasizes the press conference and personal angle, while the right emphasizes the cheating framing.