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Australia Test captain Pat Cummins on Friday rejected former opener Usman Khawaja's claims that he was overlooked for the national team's leadership role because of his skin colour, saying such a serious allegation required evidence.
Cummins was addressing the 2018 Sandpapergate controversy during a press conference following Khawaja's revelations in his autobiography 'Sabr'. I just don't think that's the case. I think of the things I've read, that's the most serious. To think that the job I hold is quarantined from people based on their skin colour, it's a pretty big statement. If you are going to say that I think you have to have evidence. And I just don't think that's the case, Cummins said, as quoted by ABC. The Australian skipper also disagreed with Khawaja's assertion that the country's captaincy was reserved for people of a particular skin colour. "Again, I agree with Usman on a lot of things but I disagree with him saying that if you're Australian captain you have to be of a certain skin colour, I have to disagree with that statement," he added. Khawaja, in his autobiography, expressed disappointment over being overlooked for the captaincy after Steve Smith was sent home following his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate. When asked whether he had witnessed any conduct that could be considered racist since taking over as Australia's captain, Cummins declined to elaborate on the issue. "I'd rather not go into that. I think that's maybe a story for Uzzie. But nothing since I've been captain that I can think of," he said. 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 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 added. (ANI)
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