Cricket Australia’s Todd Greenberg has ruled out a new Sandpapergate investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, while Mitchell Starc denies prior knowledge of the plot after claims made by Usman Khawaja.
According to Dawn, Greenberg told SEN radio there was "no compelling reason" to reopen the investigation and that he could not see anything to be gained from it. Al Jazeera reported that he said "there are specific details in his book that contradict the versions that have been provided by others" and that Cricket Australia remains comfortable with the outcome from that time.
Cricket Australia imposed bans and other penalties on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft four days after the scandal came to light in the Cape Town Test, according to Al Jazeera.
Khawaja’s autobiography extracts, as reported by Al Jazeera, describe discussions about scuffing the ball, including with sandpaper, as "open, lighthearted" and say "It was all of us." Khawaja said on social media that he had no commercial motives and that "I’m very fortunate, I don’t need the money."
Starc denied on Tuesday any prior knowledge of the plot to tamper with the ball during the 2018 tour of South Africa, speaking to reporters in Sydney, according to Dawn. Warner, in a social media video, described Khawaja’s account as 100 percent accurate and called the Cricket Australia investigation "botched" and "rushed". Bancroft told a 2021 Guardian interview that teammates apart from Smith and Warner were aware, and Greenberg says players hold "very different views".
In a 2021 joint statement, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon denied knowing about the plot. Captain Pat Cummins said last month he had spoken to Khawaja before the book’s release and was not concerned about fallout, saying "it was dealt with then". Commentators have questioned why Khawaja waited eight years to speak out, and Michael Clarke has demanded a re-investigation.
Cricket Australia says its position is unchanged and it will not open a new probe, so the dispute over what the team knew is likely to continue through statements and media debate.
The key claims rely mainly on Dawn and Al Jazeera, and Khawaja’s book extracts are reported second-hand, with the book text not seen. Responses from Smith, Hazlewood and Lyon are not reported, and Bancroft and James Sutherland declined to comment.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.