Pat Cummins reveals his wife urged him to ‘be honest’ about Sandpapergate after Usman Khawaja’s bombshell claims: ‘People are hurting’

Pat Cummins has laughed off suggestions he was arguing with his wife, Rebecca, after they were photographed having an animated exchange outside their Sydney home, as Usman Khawaja’s autobiography reignited the Sandpapergate saga.

In a lengthy Sydney press conference on Friday, Cummins addressed dozens of questions about the ball-tampering exposed during the third Test of the tour in Cape Town in 2018.

He described Usman Khawaja’s claims that the whole Australian team knew about the plan as ‘complete and utter nonsense’, and accused Khawaja of being ‘casual with lives and reputations’. 

Cummins then addressed News Corp photographs of him and his wife in a heated discussion beside their car on Wednesday afternoon.

He was barefoot and alternated between pacing and leaning against the car, while Becky did much of the talking.

But on Friday, Cummins laughed off the interaction, and revealed his wife was actually upset with his former teammate.

‘It’s… very comical. Becky wears her heart on her sleeve. We weren’t having a spat. Becky was very frustrated, animated and really not happy with Usman,’ he said.

‘She’s always just said to be honest and tell the details and put your washing away.’

Cummins added that his wife had witnessed all major events throughout his career. 

‘I’ve been with Becky since well before that tour, so she’s seen everything. She leaves it all with me,’ he said.

‘So, she’s just saying, like, show your emotion because there are a lot of people here hurting.’

He also expressed his frustration at being filmed during what he described as a private family moment.

‘It’s all a bit ridiculous, isn’t it? Like, we’re here talking about something that was dealt with eight and a half years ago [and] now I’m walking my daughter, one-year-old daughter in a nappy out the front, and I’ve got cameras chasing me and my family,’ he said.

Hours after the couple were photographed having an animated discussion, Rebecca shared an affectionate family photo on her Instagram Story. 

In the image, Rebecca rested her head against her husband as he held their daughter, Edith, whose face was hidden from view. She tagged Cummins and captioned the photo: ‘My loves’. 

The Australian cricket community erupted after Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, was released on Tuesday. 

The book alleges knowledge of the ball-tampering scandal extended beyond Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the three players Cricket Australia sanctioned over the incident. 

Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the third Test in Cape Town in March 2018.

Smith and Warner were handed 12-month bans and stripped of their captaincy and vice-captaincy, respectively, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

Khawaja’s account has now placed renewed scrutiny on Australia’s bowling attack, which included Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

‘It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the book’s release.

In a joint statement in 2021, the four bowlers maintained they had no knowledge that a foreign substance had been brought onto the field to alter the ball’s condition during the Cape Town Test.

Khawaja, meanwhile, faced further questions about his account during an appearance on ABC’s 7.30, including whether he was frustrated that the bowlers had not acknowledged knowing about the sandpaper.

‘I’ll say again, I’ve given my statement about what happened the game before. I was very open and honest to what I saw and what conversations I had,’ he said.

‘Sometimes I’m very specific on things, and sometimes I’m a bit vague on things, and I do it on purpose because I’m trying to tell a story.’

When pressed further about the bowlers, Khawaja refused to elaborate.

‘I’m not going to entertain that. I’m not going to really speak on any more of it at this moment,’ he said.

He also admitted he was unsure what the fallout from the revelations could mean for his friendship with Cummins.

‘I’ve told my truth, and I’d give him my reasons,’ Khawaja said.

‘Pat Cummins is a good friend of mine. Mitchell Starc, a lot of these guys, players in the team, Shaun Marsh, Mitch Marsh, are all very good friends of mine. I’m not here to go on a witch hunt.’

Khawaja has since cancelled several media appearances, including an interview with Seven News, although he denied withdrawing from his book tour.

Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Todd Greenberg has said there would be ‘absolutely no benefit’ in reopening the investigation. 

It has also been reported that CA chairman David Boon has backed Cummins and assured him his position as captain is secure.

Before the latest allegations emerged, Cummins insisted the team had already answered questions about the scandal repeatedly.

‘It’s obviously a long time ago. All the investigations, everything was done back then. Answered every question a million times,’ he said ahead of Australia’s recent tour of South Africa.

‘It was dealt with then. All I can say is, as a group, we’ve moved on.’

Cummins also revealed Khawaja had given him some warning about the contents of his book.

‘He didn’t go into too much detail… As always it was “no worries, you can tell your story, that’s fine”,’ he said.