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Australian skipper Pat Cummins denied that he would take any legal action against former teammate and batter Usman Khawaja following his revelations about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal during the tour to South Africa, saying that one has to "move on".
Cummins held a presser in Sydney on Friday to address Khawaja's claims about the Sandpapergate controversy dating back to 2018, and other claimed instances of ball tampering by Australia. His autobiography titled 'Sabr' has brought back the old wounds of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal during the South Africa tour, as a part of which then-captain and vice-captain Steve Smith and David Warner received one-year competitive cricket bans, while Cameron Bancroft was also handed sanctions. Besides shedding light on how the whole team was aware of the use of sandpaper and responsibility lay with everyone instead of the three aforementioned players, he also made some shocking, never-heard-before revelations of Aussies using sandpaper during the 2018 SA series' second Test at Gqeberha as well, before they were eventually caught in Cape Town during the third Test. He also spoke about how Aussies altered the condition of the ball during the 2017/18 Ashes series at home by lifting the quarter-seam of the cricket ball. Speaking during the presser, as quoted by SEN Cricket, Cummins did acknowledge that he was advised that some contents of Khawaja's book were "probably defamatory", but he would not be proceeding with the legal action route. "I did get advised this week that some of the things that have been said are probably defamatory; I would not be doing that.You got to move on. It has been eight years. Keep saying we are moving on, we are moving on.You got to draw the line at some point. I would not be doing that (taking legal action against Usman)," he said. On if he had any conversations with Khawaja, Cummins said that he would not be getting into it and said that to him it seemed that the whole controversy was "sitting heavy" on Khawaja for a while. "Personal conversations, I do not really want to go into it (what he has said to Usman). There is quite a bit to sift through there. I do not want to break confidence. I wanted to sift through what has been said. it looks like it has been sitting heavy on him for a while," he said. "It sounds like he knew a lot more than others in the changeroom. We told them everything in that investigation, we were an open book.Maybe he never got over it," he added. Earlier, speaking during the presser at Sydney's Cricket Central, Cummins said, as quoted by Fox Sports, that Khawaja's claims that everyone, including the bowling quartet of Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, were aware of sandpaper being brought to the field were 100 per cent wrong. "When he says we all knew, if that he means we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he is 100% wrong," Cummins said. "I said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. But I think Usman actually says things that are far more serious than that." "He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That's complete and utter nonsense," he continued. While he still termed Usman a friend, he also went on to make serious accusations of a casual approach towards telling his story involving his own long-time teammates and friends and called for some accountability from him. "Usman is a friend, but friends are not casual with each other's lives and reputations," he said. "In his book he has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket." "I support him to tell his story, 100 per cent, I am glad he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do," he continued. The skipper said that the years-old controversy and the way Khawaja has casually told his story affect Australian cricket and people who are a part of it. "It affects real people. It affects people's lives. It is also strange. I love Australian cricket. It has given me so much," said Cummins. "This really affects Australian cricket. And I think the way that he has presented his story, I think he's done that in a very casual manner. And it affects a lot of people. That is what I am grappling with at the moment because I do not think it is okay," he continued. Cummins also said that Usman had been "quite casual and flippant" with the lives of people and Australian cricket. "Uzzy is a friend. But I think the way he is been quite casual and flippant with people's lives and Australian cricket, I do not think that is okay," Cummins said. "I played 15 years, my debut for New South Wales and with Australia, Usman was right there, and he has been awesome to me and he us a friend, but this is people's real lives, and this is serious ... this affects not only people, but people's families." "I am one of the lesser ones ... but talking eight years ago, it was traumatic for those guys. For all of us, for Australian cricket," Cummins said. "So to bring it up so flippantly and casually, um, I think it is irresponsible," he signed off. (ANI)
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