Ball-tampering controversy: Pat Cummins calls on media to cover ‘long list and full extent’ of Usman Khawaja’s allegations

Usman Khawaja, Pat Cummins Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is ready to respond to Usman Khawaja’s allegations over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he needs time to understand the claims made in the former opener’s autobiography before addressing them.Khawaja’s book, ‘Sabr’, released on Tuesday, brought the controversy surrounding the 2018 Cape Town Test against South Africa back into the limelight. In the book, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian team knew about a plan to use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball.He also claimed that captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft were made scapegoats by cricket administrators despite other team members allegedly knowing about the plan.Cummins said he would address the media on Friday at Cricket Central, where he is expected to train ahead of the Sheffield Shield match in New South Wales.“I’m training at Cricket Central tomorrow morning before the Blues play the Shield,” Cummins wrote on ‘X’.“I’m happy to be able to speak to all the media about this week’s events at 9:30. I’ve spent some time trying to better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy’s allegations so that I can respond appropriately.”Meanwhile, Khawaja pulled out of interviews to promote his autobiography after facing criticism for his TV interview on Tuesday night. During the interview, he sought to answer questions about the allegations, including whether Australia’s four bowlers, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, were involved in ball-tampering discussions.He was also directly asked if Cummins knew about the plan to use sandpaper in advance. Khawaja refused to answer, saying he was only sharing his “truth” in the book.Former Australia captain Michael Clarke also questioned Cummins’ silence on the matter, saying the team needs to find out what happened during the 2018 Test.Speaking on 2DayFM’s Breakfast with Nath & Emma, ​​Clarke expressed surprise that Australia’s current captain has yet to publicly address the allegations.“I can’t believe we haven’t heard from Pat Cummins, the Australian captain,” Clarke said.Clarke also pointed to the impact of the 2018 scandal on Australian cricket management, suggesting that Cummins might not have become captain had Smith not been removed from the role following the incident.