Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate Allegations: Why Is Pat Cummins Questioning His Claims?

By Aditya Nagar | Updated: Fri, 13 Nov 2026, 02:40 PM (IST)

Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate allegations: Pat Cummins has responded to Usman Khawaja's recent comments on the 2018 Sandpapergate affair, saying Khawaja was way too casual about people's lives and their reputations. Cummins, who regards Khawaja as a friend, was particularly taken aback by Khawaja's assertion that he'd told Cameron Bancroft to be careful with the sandpaper during the Cape Town Test.

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Pat Cummins responds to Usman Khawaja: In his media comments in Sydney on Friday, Cummins flatly denied that he or any of the bowlers had any knowledge of sandpaper being brought onto the field and dismissed the suggestion that he or any of the bowlers had been involved in the ball-tampering scheme. He also found it odd that Khawaja hadn't come forward with what he knew until eight years later. In his opening statement he did say he was Usman's friend, but that friends shouldn't be so cavalier with each other's lives, their own lives and the lives of Australian cricket.

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Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate allegations: Cummins said Khawaja has the right to tell his story but that making allegations comes with a responsibility to the people who are the subject of those allegations. He said he stands by his own version of events and that people have to be accountable for what they say and do. He firmly denied Khawaja's assertion that the Australian bowlers were aware of sandpaper being brought onto the field at the third Test against SA in Cape Town in March 2018.

The Aussie captain has been saying for eight years that he didn't know about it. He thinks Usman is going much further than that. Khawaja says Cummins and his team were aware of the ball being treated with sandpaper, Cummins just flatly denies that. Khawaja's story about warning Bancroft clearly had the biggest impact on Cummins. He was genuinely surprised to hear that Khawaja had allegedly gone to Bancroft and told him to be careful with the sandpaper and he didn't expect that at all.

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Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummins friendship: In the media interaction Cummins was asked about his personal reaction to Khawaja's revelations and whether it had in any way affected their friendship. The Australian captain did admit it had been on his mind for the last couple of days. Calling Usman as a friend, Cummins said he just didn't find it acceptable for a friend to treat people's lives and Australian cricket in that manner. He said friends don't do that. His concerns go far beyond just his relationship with Khawaja.

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Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate allegations: Cummins said Khawaja's story has an impact on so many people who are involved in the whole affair and on Australian cricket as a whole. According to Cummins, Usman has told the story so casually that it has hurt so many people. That's why he doesn't think it's okay. He also wondered why Khawaja waited so long to come forward, suggesting Khawaja may have been living with those memories for years.

He also stated that Khawaja never spoke to him or any of the other team members to hear their version of events prior to making his assertions. Cummins suggested Khawaja may have been living with his own memories of the incident for years and that that could be why he didn't come forward with what he knew during the 2018 investigation. He also pointed to Khawaja's proximity to Bancroft at the time and noted that the former opener appeared to know more than a number of the others in the dressing room.

Cummins Disagrees Over Khawaja Claims of His Pakistani Heritage & Skin Colour

Cummins was absolutely in no way in agreement with Khawaja's assertion that his Pakistani background and skin colour had effectively barred him from being considered as Australia's captain following Sandpapergate. The Australian captain described the claim as one of the most serious he'd ever seen and that it required proof. He did agree with Khawaja on some of the points he made, but made it very clear that he didn't believe that race or ethnicity in any way precluded someone from being captain.

Cummins said he agrees with Usman on a lot of things, but will speak up when he disagrees. He doesn't buy into the notion that his skin colour should in any way matter in terms of him being captain of the Australian side. He did say the Australian players were very open during the course of the investigation following the Cape Town scandal. They gave the investigators everything they knew and described it as an open process.

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Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate allegations: The Aussie captain also spoke about the team culture at that time which was very fractured and entirely focused on winning. Cummins recalls being 24 in 2018, having played only his 13th Test, and the team having what he describes as "serious problems". Fixing that and building a better team culture has been one of his primary objectives as captain over the last six years.

He also admitted that Khawaja may have never actually got over the scandal and that writing about it might be his way of coping with it. For Cummins that could be Usman's opportunity to deal with something that has never left him. He did criticise Khawaja but he did say he respects his right to speak about it. Having gone into the allegations in some detail on Friday he said he wants to move on and won't be talking about it any further.

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