Aussie skipper Cummins set to answer questions on Khawaja's ball-tampering allegations

Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins has finally broken his silence on Usman Khawaja's explosive claims about the Sandpapergate scandal in the 2018 Newlands Test. Khawaja made the claims in his autobiography Sabr, alleging that the entire contingent knew about the ball tampering and not just the three sanctioned players: David Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft. In the aftermath, Smith and Warner were removed from leadership positions, paving the way for Tim Paine first and then Cummins to take over the captaincy of Australia. Cummins, after days of silence, has now invited the media to speak about the allegations.

Cummins set to clear the air over Khawaja's allegations

The Australian team was in South Africa for a three-Test series when the book became a hot topic. It was the first time the Aussies were visiting South Africa since the 2018 scandal, and they lost the series 2-1. Ironically, the series loss was completed with a defeat in the last Test at Newlands.

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Cummins, on his official X account, has now invited the media to talk about the allegations. "I'm training at Cricket Central tomorrow morning before the Blues play in the Shield match," read the post shared on Thursday (Nov 12).

"Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week at 9.30 am. I've taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy's allegations so I can respond properly," he added.

Cummins's response comes after several players, including former skipper Michael Clarke, called on him to clear the air over the allegations. "I can't believe we haven't heard from Pat Cummins yet, the Australian captain," Clarke said on 2DayFM's Breakfast with Nath & Emma show.

How has Khawaja responded to the uproar?

After the release of the book, Khawaja has faced a lot of backlash, including being grilled by ABC journalist Sarah Ferguson. Khawaja categorically declined to answer the question about Cummins knowing about the plan to change the condition of the ball.

"I'm not going to answer that. I've written what I've written in my book," Khawaja said. "I've come out and stood by those guys [Warner, Smith and Bancroft] and told my account of what I saw."