‘Stinks of a cover up’: David Warner fans flames with new sandpapergate claim about bowlers
Former Australia vice-captain David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of running a 'shoddy' investigation into the 2018 ball tampering scandal, claiming three bowlers weren't interviewed.
The former Australia vice-captain claimed on social media that Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon weren't interviewed by Cricket Australia following the 2018 Cape Town incident where Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper. Warner posted on Instagram that the investigation 'stinks of a cover up' and questioned how CA could claim the bowlers had no knowledge if they weren't questioned.
Warner's Explosive Claims
Warner made his assertion a day after current captain Pat Cummins addressed Khawaja's allegations in his memoir Sabr. The former opener said he would 'stick by Uzzy and what he's written in that book' and accused Cummins of throwing his former teammate 'under the bus' during Friday's press conference.
If that's correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn't know? It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea. That stinks of a cover up.
Cummins' Response
During a marathon press conference lasting over an hour, Cummins firmly denied Khawaja's claim that he and others were 'architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper.' 'That's complete and utter nonsense,' he stated. The current captain maintained he 'did not know' that sandpaper was being used on the field at Newlands, contradicting Khawaja's account.
Cummins expressed particular shock at Khawaja's admission that he had told Bancroft to 'be careful when using sandpaper,' suggesting this was a more serious revelation than the original claims about shared knowledge.
CA's Position
Cricket Australia has defended its original investigation, stating that all players were given the opportunity to speak at the time and have had eight years to provide new evidence. The sanctions only applied to Warner, Bancroft and Smith, who were found to have prior knowledge of the scheme.
Warner, who hadn't spoken about the incident in eight years, described the consequences as a 'life punishment' and criticized the initial investigation as 'botched' and rushed. The ongoing controversy threatens to further divide Australian cricket as the team prepares for their series against England.
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