AUSTRALIA: Former Australia opener David Warner has raised fresh questions over Cricket Australia's (CA) investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, also known as Sandpapergate, following allegations made by Usman Khawaja in his book Sabr.
The controversy has resurfaced after Khawaja claimed that members of the Australian team were aware of the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town in 2018.
Australia captain Pat Cummins rejected the allegation, stating that the bowling group had no knowledge of the use of sandpaper during the match.
He maintained that he had consistently denied any involvement or awareness of the incident over the past eight years.
Cummins also strongly denied Khawaja's suggestion that he and other players had planned the ball-tampering incident.
He said he was surprised to learn that Khawaja had admitted to warning Cameron Bancroft to be careful while using the sandpaper.
Warner had earlier criticised Cummins' response, accusing the Australian captain of putting the blame on Bancroft. He also questioned the way Cricket Australia handled the investigation into the scandal.
In a post on Instagram, Warner alleged that Cricket Australia had not questioned the bowling group, comprising Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, during its investigation.
He questioned how the governing body could conclude that the bowlers had no knowledge of the incident without properly questioning them.
Warner further suggested that the investigation appeared to have been conducted in a manner that placed the blame on selected players while protecting others.
Warner, Bancroft and former captain Steve Smith were the only players sanctioned by Cricket Australia over the incident.
While Cummins and Cricket Australia have continued to stand by their earlier positions, Warner has publicly supported Khawaja since the latest allegations emerged, adding another layer to the long-running controversy.
(With inputs from the media reports)