Mitchell Marsh refuses to speak on Khawaja's ball-tampering claims in autobiography Sabr

Mitchell Marsh, Australia's stand-in white-ball skipper in place of Pat Cummins for the upcoming ODIs against England, has refused to answer questions on the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. The ball-tampering incident has been brought into the spotlight once again through ex-Aussie batter Usman Khawaja's autobiography Sabr. The book makes the explosive claim that the entire Australian team knew about the plan to tamper with the ball. In the aftermath of the incident, Cricket Australia sanctioned then-captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and opener Cameron Bancroft.

Marsh refuses to speak on Khawaja's ball-tampering claims

Speaking to reporters ahead of the first ODI on Friday (Nov 13) in Perth, Marsh said: "There has obviously been a lot of noise around this week and I respect that certain people have told their stories, but I'm not here to share mine today. I know that might sound weird, but it's a big week for us and it's an important time for this one-day group, and my sole focus has been on preparing for tomorrow. I'm walking out tomorrow to captain my country in a really exciting series against England in a World Cup year, and I'm focused on that."

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The all-rounder also revealed that he has not read the book, though he spoke to Khawaja ahead of its release. "I'm not here to go back on my recollections of South Africa," said Marsh, who was in the playing XI for that Test. "My honest answer is because I've personally moved on, I respect that others probably haven't, but I have, and I hope that's respected."

Cummins invites media to answer questions

Pat Cummins has finally broken his silence on the claims in the book and has invited the media via a social media post to clear the air. "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.