David Warner accuses Cricket Australia of ‘cover up’ over sandpaper scandal
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David Warner has sensationally accused Cricket Australia (CA) of executing a “cover-up” of the “sandpapergate” ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
Warner, then vice-captain, was one of three players to serve long bans after a CA investigation into the use of sandpaper on the ball during the Test series against South Africa.
Usman Khawaja had reopened the saga by writing in his autobiography that the whole Australian team were aware of the ball tampering, drawing support from close friend Warner and a strong denial from now-skipper Pat Cummins.
Warner, who retired from international cricket in January 2024, has now claimed that Cummins and the rest of the bowling attack – who have always denied wrongdoing – were not interviewed as part of the investigation.
“As far as l am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation,” Warner said in a post on Instagram.
“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 suggested on Friday that he had been talked to as part of enquiries in 2018. He, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have always maintained that they were unaware that sandpaper was brought on to the field in Cape Town to tamper with the ball.
Warner, captain Steve Smith and batter Cameron Bancfroft were the only players punished by Cricket Australia in 2018. Head coach Darren Lehmann was cleared of wrongdoing, though resigned his role at the end of that series.
In response to the former opener’s new claim, a Cricket Australia statement said: “As we have stated previously, all players were given the opportunity to speak at the time of the initial investigation and have had the ability to come forward with new evidence in the eight years since.
“Subsequently, CA has respected every player and former players’ right to provide their own version of events.”
CA has previously said that it does not intend to reopen the investigation.
