Warner claims sandpapergate investigation ‘stinks of a cover-up’

David Warner has claimed Cricket Australia’s investigation into the 2018 ball tampering scandal “stinks of a cover-up”.

Usman Khawaja’s claims in his new autobiography reignited the controversy that rocked Australian cricket eight years ago, with the former opening batter stating that the entire Australian team knew sandpaper was being used to alter the ball before their Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018.

Warner has now doubled down on his criticisms of Cricket Australia’s probe into the saga, claiming they had not interviewed three of the bowlers – Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon – who featured in that Test, as part of what he called a “shoddy investigation”.

“As far as I am aware, CA [Cricket Australia] did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation,” Warner wrote in a post on Instagram.

“If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that their bowlers didn’t know?

“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.”

Sky Sports News have contacted Cricket Australia for comment.

Cricket Australia will not open new investigation

Previously, Warner had said Cricket Australia’s investigation into the sandpaper scandal was “rushed and botched”, with the former opener issuing his support to Khawaja during a statement issued on Monday.

In his autobiography ‘Sabr: Finding my way in cricket and in life’, Khawaja said he was not called for an interview by Cricket Australia in the wake of sandpapergate.

Warner and then-captain Steve Smith both received 12-month bans, while Cameron Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension.

Cummins, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood were not punished and issued a joint statement in 2021 explaining they had no knowledge that ball-tampering was taking place.

On Saturday, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg told Australian radio station SEN that the governing body would not be re-opening the investigation.

“We don’t see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again,” Greenberg said.

“I don’t think there’s anything that can be gained from that.

“We have said we’re comfortable with the outcome of the investigation based on the information we’ve received. That includes what we’ve seen from Usman [Khawaja], and our position hasn’t changed on that.

“There’s absolutely no benefit in going back, that’s the clear position of the CA board. I think it’s fine, we’ve got to look ahead, and the matter was dealt with under a previous leadership back in 2018.

“Trying to second-guess decisions from a previous time or making an assessment through the prism of hindsight is not something we want to do.”

He added: “When you cut to the core of the challenge that we face here, Usman’s version of events is inconsistent with what others have had to say.

“I can assure you there are lots of other players who have a very, very different version of events. And they have made that very public from the very start of 2018, they have been very consistent in their position right through until today.

“From my conversations with many over the weekend, I don’t think that will change either.”

Warner hits out at Cummins

Following Khawaja’s revelations, both Cummins and Starc have denied any knowledge of sandpapergate, with the current Australia captain rejecting Khawaja’s claims during a press conference on Friday.

“When he [Khawaja] says we all knew, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, ​he’s 100 per cent wrong. I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years,” ‌Cummins told reporters.

Warner, though, hit back at the Australian Test captain’s comments, saying he had “thrown Khawaja under a bus”.

“Pat Cummins was very well-prepared this morning [Friday]. I still stick by Uzzie, and what he’s written in that book,” Warner said.

“It is the truth, and I really, really support him. I actually feel for him at the moment; I feel that the captain today threw Uzzie under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that.

“All three of us have paid a big price in this. I hadn’t spoken to ‘Banger’ [Bancroft] in eight years, but at the end of the day, we have to live with these consequences daily. We’ve got to live with these consequences daily, and we’ve been served a life punishment.

“So, when other people talk about how they’ve been affected by it, there’s nothing worse for me, Steve [Smith] and Cameron [Bancroft], who have to walk out there every single day.

“We cop abuse. Yes, we accepted it. But my wife and I paid the greatest price; we lost a baby during that time. That’s why it really hurts me the most, until the truth is accepted.”