The 2018 Sandpaper scandal continues to create fresh discussions in Australian cricket, with Mitchell Starc now responding to the latest revelations made by Usman Khawaja in his autobiography. The Australian fast bowler has made it clear that his understanding of the incident remains unchanged and that he has no intention of revising his account after eight years.
Mitchell Starc said he had not followed Usman Khawaja’s recent revelations closely. He also maintained that he and Australia’s other bowlers had no knowledge of anything being taken onto the field during the controversial Cape Town Test in 2018. His comments come after Cameron Bancroft recently suggested in an interview that it was obvious the Australian bowlers knew about the ball-tampering incident.
Mitchell Starc pointed to the joint statement released in 2021 by him, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. He said his recollection of the incident was still the same as what the four bowlers had stated at the time. According to their statement, they were unaware that any foreign substance had been brought onto the field.
The left-arm pacer also indicated that he was unlikely to read Usman Khawaja’s newly released autobiography, Sabr. His comments have also raised questions about how the latest controversy could affect his relationship with his Australian teammate.
Released on Tuesday, Usman Khawaja’s book provides detailed accounts of the 2018 South Africa tour. It discusses not only the infamous Cape Town Test, where Australian players were caught using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball, but also the previous Test played in Gqeberha, which was then known as Port Elizabeth.
Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja had addressed the criticism surrounding his revelations through an Instagram post over the weekend. He maintained that his intention was not to blame or unfairly target any individual through his account of the incident.
However, Mitchell Starc’s wife and former Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy offered a different perspective while discussing the controversy on a podcast.
Alyssa Healy said she preferred to wait and see how the situation developed before commenting in detail. However, she also expressed reservations about the timing of Usman Khawaja’s revelations, suggesting that it was an aspect of the situation she was uncomfortable with.
With Usman Khawaja’s autobiography bringing the eight-year-old controversy back into the spotlight, Mitchell Starc’s latest comments show that the differences in recollections among members of the Australian team remain unresolved.
It will be interesting to see how Cricket Australia will react to this new controversy.
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