Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has ruled out a fresh inquiry into the 2018 ball-tampering incident despite Usman Khawaja’s explosive claims that the entire team knew about the plot to use sandpaper in South Africa.
Khawaja made the revelations in his new book ‘Sabr’, bringing the scandal back onto the agenda after eight years.
Only David Warner – who said on Monday that Khawaja’s version of events was “100 per cent accurate” – Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were banned after ‘Sandpapergate’, with Cricket Australia asserting only that trio were privy to the plot.
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Greenberg, who was not part of Cricket Australia at the time of the scandal, said that Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, two of the bowlers who played in the Cape Town Test back in 2018, would speak about the issue in the coming days or weeks.
He told Australian radio station SEN: “We don’t see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again. 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. Our position hasn’t changed on that.
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“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.”
Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins issued a joint statement in 2021 denying knowledge of the scandal
‘Usman’s version of events inconsistent with what others say’
Greenberg 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.
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“I think we end up at the same intersection point, which is eight years ago people have a version of events which differ from each other.
“No one would like to get this chapter of Australian cricket closed more than me, but it is unlikely.”
‘I don’t expect bowlers’ position to change’
Cummins, Starc and the two other bowlers at Newlands in 2018 – Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood – are not part of the upcoming white-ball series at home to England.
However, batting all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who also played in the ‘Sandpapergate’ Test, will captain the side in the three ODIs and five T20s.
Marsh is due to give a press conference on Thursday ahead of the first ODI at Perth’s Optus Stadium the following day.
Australia white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh, who played in the ‘Sandpapergate’ Test in 2018, is due to address the media on Thursday
Greenberg said: “I know people are calling for the truth, but in reference to the bowlers, I think one thing that is clear is they’ve been very consistent from the original investigation back in 2018, in the days that immediately followed the Test match.
“In their public statements in 2021 [denying prior knowledge of the ball-tampering plot] and in many of my conversations with them over the weekend, their position has remained consistent and hasn’t changed.
“Pat (Cummins) will speak at some point in the days or weeks ahead but I expect that their position will be exactly the same as it has been since the start of this in 2018.”