Former Australian Test fast bowler Chadd Sayers has contradicted captain Pat Cummins' denials regarding the 2018 "Sandpapergate" scandal, stating that all players were aware of the ball-tampering tactics. Sayers' comments align with the recollections of batter Usman Khawaja and further fuel the ongoing controversy surrounding Cricket Australia's investigation.
Sayers, who was part of the Australian touring party in South Africa in 2018, told SEN radio that sandpaper was used on the ball in at least two Test matches during the series, not just the infamous third match in Cape Town where Cameron Bancroft was caught by television cameras. He stated that discussions about how to achieve a reverse swing took place in the change rooms.
"I just know that there was numerous conversations of it around in the changerooms," Sayers said. "I just know that it was going to be used, as I believe everyone else did."
Sayers, who did not play in the matches where the sandpaper was used but took a piece of it from the field, described feeling "awkward" watching Cummins dismiss Khawaja's account as "nonsense." He felt Cummins' response was overly personal.
Usman Khawaja, speaking for the first time since Cummins' denial, reiterated that his account of events is truthful. "What I wrote in my book is what I wrote in my book and it's the truth," Khawaja told The Australian.
Meanwhile, former Test opener David Warner has continued to question Cricket Australia's (CA) investigation, suggesting it was incomplete and biased. Warner posted on social media that he was not given all the evidence, including whether other bowlers like Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon were interviewed. He alleged that CA ran a "shoddy investigation" to support a pre-determined narrative that the bowlers were unaware of the tampering.
Warner, who received a 12-month ban for his role in the scandal, stated that if CA had provided him with all the information, it would have been useful when he was forced to make decisions in 2018. He questioned why CA did not share all the evidence with the players at the time. CA has since confirmed that bowlers were interviewed as part of its investigation.