‘We absolutely support Pat’: Cricket Australia backs Cummins amid fresh Sandpapergate row

Cricket Australia chairman David Boon has backed Test captain Pat Cummins following fresh allegations surrounding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Boon has made it clear that Cummins’ position as captain is secure and that the board continues to have full confidence in him.The controversy returned to the limelight after former Australian batsman Usman Khawaja made new claims in his autobiography ‘Sabr’. Khawaja claimed that all members of the Australian team on the 2018 tour of South Africa were aware of the ball-tampering plan.His claims have reopened debate about the scandal and led to calls for further investigations. Cummins, who now leads Australia’s Test team, also came under pressure to explain what he knew.

Boon says Cricket Australia has full confidence in Cummins

Boon said Cummins led the team with integrity and had the full support of the board.“We fully support Pat,” Boon said in comments published by The Australian on Thursday.“He’s been an exemplary captain, he’s led the team with integrity and, you know, very successfully during his time as captain, so there’s no doubt we’ll continue to have confidence in him.”Cummins has yet to publicly comment on Khawaja’s allegations. However, he posted on X that he would speak to the media on Friday after reviewing the claims.“I have spent some time trying to better understand the long list and the full extent of Uzzy’s allegations in order to respond appropriately,” he wrote.Australia’s white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh is also expected to tackle the issue. Marsh was part of the Test squad during the 2018 tour and will address a press conference in Perth later on Thursday, ahead of the ODI against England.

Warner and Sayers support Khawaja’s version

Khawaja’s claims received support from former teammate David Warner. Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were banned for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal.Former Australian fast bowler Chadd Sayers, who was also part of the South Africa tour in 2018, also backed Khawaja. In an interview with Australian media last weekend, Sayers said the allegations were “accurate”.Despite the fresh claims, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said on Tuesday there was no compelling reason to reopen the investigation.Boon reiterated the same position, saying the board did not want to get into a fight over different versions of events.“I respect (Usman’s) point of view and his recollection of what happened, and it’s his, but we don’t want to get into a he-said-she-said argument,” he said.“There will be supporters, there will be other guys who don’t remember the same thing, so I don’t see the point.

Hick and Starc deny prior knowledge

In his book ‘Sabr’, released this week, Khawaja alleged that Australia tampered with the ball during the second Test in South Africa as well, and not just the third Test in Cape Town.Former Australian batting coach Graeme Hick strongly rejected the claims, calling them “absolutely false”.“As far as any ball-tampering discussions in Port Elizabeth or in Cape Town that have taken place, I can honestly say I have not heard or known anything,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.Fast bowler Mitchell Starc also denied having any prior knowledge of ball tampering.In 2021, Starc and fellow bowlers Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement. They said they were unaware that a “foreign substance” had been brought onto the pitch to tamper with the ball during the Cape Town Test.