‘I wasn’t in that dressing room’: Harry Brook distances himself from Australia’s ball-tampering scandal

England’s Harry Brook (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) England captain Harry Brook has opted to avoid fresh controversy surrounding Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he has never witnessed any form of ball-tampering during his international career. With Usman Khawaja’s autobiography bringing the infamous Sandpapergate episode back into the limelight, Brook has made it clear he has no direct knowledge of what happened in the Australian dressing room.The England captain was speaking ahead of the first ODI against Australia at Perth Stadium on Friday when asked about the renewed debate surrounding the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018. Brook pointed out that he was only about 17 or 18 at the time and was not involved in the events that rocked Australian cricket.“I’ve never seen any ball tampering before. I wasn’t in that (Australian) dressing room. I think I was about 17 or 18 so I’ve completely forgotten about any of it,” Brook said during a pre-match press conference, as quoted by The Independent.Rather than comment further on the allegations and revelations from eight years ago, Brook preferred to shift the focus to England’s upcoming white-ball challenge. He stressed that his team needs to focus on preparing for a tough series against Australia on home turf.“We’re here in Australia, we’re looking forward to this series and all we can do is focus on ourselves and prepare as best we can. We’re just trying to focus on ourselves at the moment. That’s all we can do. We’re here to play against a strong Australian side in their backyard,” he added.KhawajaAutobiography reignites Sandpapergate debateThe controversy returned to the headlines following the publication of excerpts from Khawaja’s recently released autobiography. The former Australia opener claimed the entire team knew about the use of sandpaper during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018.Khawaja also claimed that ball-tampering tactics were used during the previous Test at Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha, adding another dimension to the long-running dispute.Former Australian opener David Warner subsequently backed Khawaja’s revelation. Warner was among the players punished following the scandal, receiving a one-year ban from international cricket and a lifetime ban from management. The latter restriction was lifted in 2024.Brook is excited about the Perth challengeControversy notwithstanding, Brook expressed his excitement at leading England in the opening ODI, especially at a venue that holds positive memories for him from the previous Ashes competition.The England captain described the Australia-England rivalry as special and said his team was eager to open the series at Optus Stadium.“Australia v England is always a good series and we’re looking forward to getting it started. We’re really happy to be out here. We’re all really looking forward to getting here at Optus Stadium where the last Ashes started. It’s an amazing place to play cricket. The atmosphere when we played here was incredible,” he said.With the opening clash set to take place in Perth, Brook’s immediate focus remains on cricket, despite the renewed scrutiny surrounding one of the most controversial episodes in Australian cricket history.