Pat Cummins can end sandpaper saga with full disclosure of what players knew – not what they didn’t | Geoff Lemon

Eight-and-a-half years after the 2018 ball tampering scandal in South Africa, current Australia Test captain Pat Cummins finds himself at the center of a renewed controversy. Usman Khawaja's recent book has revealed that ball tampering was more widespread than previously admitted, with a team-wide policy driven from coaches down. This revelation has denied active players like Cummins, Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon the opportunity to address these claims before their careers ended.

The scandal first emerged when Steve Smith was handed blame for tampering during Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa, though questions remained about whether the responsibility was limited to just Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Khawaja's account suggests Smith took the fall to spare others, though this approach of limited disclosure has only prolonged the saga.

Conflicting Accounts

Khawaja's assertions have received backing from Warner and bowler Chadd Sayers, while an unnamed squad member confirmed similar details to Cricinfo, making four corroborating sources. However, the bowling quartet of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon drew attention with their 2021 statement denying knowledge of the specific sandpaper plan in Cape Town. This week, Starc reiterated his denial about the third Test while adding a denial about sandpaper knowledge in the second Test as well.

Transparency Imperative

The core issue appears to be a perspective clash between those who viewed tampering as a team-wide policy and those who claim only specific actions were known. However, the players denying involvement need to explain what they did know about their team's practices. The focus has shifted from what they didn't know to what they did know about ball tampering methods and conversations.

Cricket Australia's current CEO Todd Greenberg has dismissed further scrutiny, claiming there's anything that can be gained from it and citing conflicting accounts as a reason to avoid reopening the investigation. This approach mirrors the organization's initial response in 2018, which limited the investigation's scope to implicate only three players during one match.

Since the beginning, key figures have used abstraction and obfuscation rather than direct answers. Coach Darren Lehmann and various players have given vague statements that leave room for interpretation. Warner called Khawaja's account 100% accurate without specifying what it refers to, while Khawaja himself initially claimed It was all of us before becoming reluctant to name specific individuals.

Leadership Test

As current captain, Cummins faces the critical task of providing full disclosure about the former team environment and how members made their choices. The article argues that ball tampering itself is not the primary issue now; rather, it's the refusal to confront the episode that has kept it alive. Full transparency would likely result in a difficult period with dissected motives and insults, but would finally allow the team and public to move forward.

The article concludes that Cummins has the opportunity to end the sandpaper saga once and for all by speaking plainly about what happened. This transparency, while uncomfortable, would fulfill his leadership duty to the public with a justified interest in their national team's behavior. The alternative is more fudging, which has only prolonged the trouble since day one.