David Warner backed Usman Khawaja’s claims of widespread knowledge of the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, accusing Cricket Australia of a ‘cover-up’ for allegedly not interviewing senior bowlers during its investigation.
Former Australian captain and flamboyant opener David Warner is apparently not willing to let the dust settle on the infamous 2018 Newlands Sandpapergate Scandal anytime soon, as he launched another fresh attack on Cricket Australia’s probe into the ball-tampering incident.
The 2018 Sandpapergate controversy was revived after Usman Khawaja alleged widespread knowledge of the ball-tampering incident within the Australian camp in his new book, ‘Sabr’. Khawaja’s allegations were backed by his former Australian opening partner David Warner, who called them ‘100% accurate’ and slammed Cricket Australia’s investigation into the incident, describing the interview process as ‘rushed and botched.’
However, at the press conference in Sydney, Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins strongly pushed back against Khawaja’s claims, dismissing the allegations as ‘complete and utter nonsense,’ while maintaining that the bowling attack had no prior knowledge of the ball tampering plot.
Also Read: Pat Cummins Dismisses Legal Action Against Usman Khawaja Over Book
‘That Stinks of a Cover-Up’
David Warner, who was banned from playing professionally for a year alongside the then-captain Steve Smith for his role in the scandal, took to his Instagram handle to launch a fresh attack on Cricket Australia for their ‘shoddy’ investigation into the 2018 Newlands episode.
The former Australian opener questioned the CA on how the board could definitively clear the bowling unit of any involvement when senior bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon were never formally interviewed during the probe into the Sandpapergate scandal, which rocked the cricket world during Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa.
“As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon or Mitchell Starc in their 2018 investigation. If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn’t know?” Warner wrote on Instagram.
“It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning, ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose, and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea. That stinks of a cover-up,” he added.
However, David Warner did not mention Pat Cummins’ name, who was part of the same bowling attack when the ball-tampering scandal unfolded during the third Test in Cape Town in March 2018. However, following Cummins’ press conference, Warner called out Australia’s Test and ODI captain for throwing Usman Khawaja ‘under the bus’ by denying his allegations.
Warner’s Claims Spark Fresh Debate Over Cape Town Scandal
David Warner’s latest attack on Cricket Australia’s investigation into the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal probe has sparked debate on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts questioning the credibility of the board’s probe into the incident.
Taking to their X handles, many shared their reactions to Warner’s latest comments, with some accusing Cricket Australia of protecting the senior bowlers, while others questioned why the players were never interviewed during the investigation.
Another section of users criticised the former Australian opener for bringing up the controversy nearly eight years after the incident, questioning why he had not raised these concerns during the original investigation. Some also argued Warner was reopening an issue that the team had seemingly moved on from.
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Meanwhile, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg had already ruled out reopening the investigation on November 10, stating that the board saw ‘no compelling reason’ to revisit the 2018 scandal.
Also Read: Mitchell Marsh Moves On From 2018 Ball Tampering Scandal Revelations