Perth: Former Australia head coach Justin Langer has backed Test captain Pat Cummins amid the renewed controversy over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, urging Australian cricket to put the episode behind it.
Langer’s comments came after Cummins publicly rejected allegations made by former teammate Usman Khawaja in his autobiography, Sabr, that the wider Australian team knew about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018.
Speaking on SEN Radio, Langer said Cummins had been right to address the allegations and that the latest exchange had once again put Australian cricket under pressure.
He said the controversy was affecting players across generations as well as supporters, and called for the sport to draw a line under the episode.
Cummins addressed the allegations at a lengthy press conference in Sydney on Friday. He denied knowing about the plan to alter the ball and described Khawaja’s suggestion that the entire team was aware of it as completely false. He also rejected claims that he had helped devise the plan.
The remarks drew a sharp response from former Australia opener David Warner, who publicly supported Khawaja’s account. Warner accused Cummins of throwing Khawaja under the bus and said he was disappointed with the captain’s comments.
Warner also spoke about the personal consequences of the scandal, which led to him, then captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft receiving suspensions from Cricket Australia. Smith and Warner were banned for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.
Australia’s white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh had earlier said he had moved on from the episode and did not wish to revisit it, while respecting the decision of others to share their experiences.
The controversy dates back to the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018, when Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball. The incident led to an investigation by Cricket Australia and major sanctions against the three players.
Cricket Australia has since ruled out reopening the investigation. Khawaja’s autobiography has nevertheless brought fresh scrutiny to the events and the way responsibility for the incident was handled.
(With inputs from media reports)