Australian media reacts to Usman Khawaja claims whole team knew about sandpaper ball tampering

Australian media reacts to Usman Khawaja claims whole team knew about sandpaper ball tampering

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The “big four” bowlers deny it. There hasn’t been a new statement from the four of them.

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon have stuck together from day one. They played in that Cape Town test, so I can see why they spoke together. But why weren’t the other bowlers in that squad – blokes such as Sayers, Jhye Richardson and Mitch Marsh – part of it?

All four who signed the 2021 denial letter have a New South Wales connection. I don’t know if that means anything. It just looks fractured, like a team within a team.

I watched Usman on the ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night. He wouldn’t answer the question on Cummins or name who knew, but really he has, by saying the whole team and support staff. Not naming specific players is one thing. Not answering raises more questions.

You are responsible for your actions. If it was three players, it should have been owned eight years ago. If it was the whole team, it should have been owned eight years ago.

Integrity is sticking to what’s right even when it costs you, and nobody’s watching. Honesty is telling the truth and not hiding it, even when it’s uncomfortable. If Usman’s right, that group failed at both.

Andrew Webster, the Australian

What Khawaja has seemingly – or perhaps conveniently – failed to mention on his publicity tour is that Cricket Australia urged its players to come forward with information from the moment the Newlands test finished.

While it’s true not everyone was interviewed, senior CA officials from that time confirmed to me over the weekend that the scope of the review included a specific request to all players and staff to share any information they considered relevant to Iain Roy’s investigation.

CA has twice repeated this offer publicly since 2018, telling players the door is always open. So why didn’t Khawaja, a man who so regularly reminds us of his unshakeable convictions, come forward then? When it really would have been the right thing to do? Why now?

He didn’t do it for the same reason none of them did, and for the same reason Warner, [Steve] Smith and [Cameron] Bancroft swallowed their suspensions without complaint, let alone lodge an appeal – because they wanted to keep playing cricket for their country.

Which is entirely understandable. Most of us would do the same. Just don’t grandstand about freeing the Cape Town Three eight years later in an autobiography when you had ample opportunity to tell CA directly, including after your retirement in January.

Andrew Wu, Sydney Morning Herald

There are more losers than winners out of Khawaja’s revelations. Even the players who he dedicated the chapter to – Smith, Warner and Bancroft – do not come out without bruises.

In the twilight of his career, former captain Smith does not need to relive the darkest chapter of his life. Khawaja’s claim Australia had used sandpaper in Gqeberha contradicts Smith’s assertion at the fateful press conference “I can promise you that this is the first time it has happened”.

Bancroft’s culpability is lessened, but the path back to the test side remains rocky. It’s hard to see this latest chapter improving his relationship with Cummins. The opening batter would be well advised to let all future inquiries through to the keeper.

Both Bancroft and Smith copped long sanctions, and are still playing.

Then there’s Khawaja himself. He is a free thinker, unafraid to challenge officialdom and management.

Teammates, though, are well within their right to question why he has publicly raised the matter after he has retired, and done so in a book – a point raised by Lehmann, who made several references to the damage the scandal did to his mental health and others at the time.

As one industry source mused, how will Khawaja go sitting in the Kayo commentary box next to Starc’s wife, former national women’s captain Alyssa Healy?

The big winner is Warner, who has admirably resisted temptation to speak openly about what happened but now has had someone else pull the trigger for him.

Dean Bilton, the ABC

Eight years on and with a perpetual war of words seemingly pending, it’s hard to see how many lessons have been learned. “Ball tampering is bad” may be the extent of them.

Trying to wring the truth out of this mess may forever prove impossible, arguably by design. Khawaja said he was stunned that at no point during the investigation was he questioned or approached in any way. Indeed, if your goal is to ascertain what everybody knew, it does seem counterproductive not to simply ask everybody what they knew.

We have received hints at the truth, raised eyebrows and winking “no comments”. Even Khawaja’s recollections are in the main broad enough to avoid direct accusation, and therefore responsibility.

If everyone is ball tampering, then is anyone really ball tampering? If everyone knew about it, then who do you actually blame for it? At this point we’re left with Joe Pesci in JFK, screaming at us about mysteries wrapped in riddles inside enigmas. “Even the ball tamperers don’t know who did it! Don’t you get it?”

And all the while Australians, who have always cared less for a case of whodunnit and more about the irreparable breach of trust, are still being played for fools.

Chris Barrett, Sydney Morning Herald

[Malcolm] Turnbull, who is overseas, told this masthead on Wednesday he stood by what he said at the time.

“I’m surprised that Usman thinks the only reason this was big deal was because the Prime Minister said he was disappointed,” he said. “I think every Australian was disappointed. I don’t think I said anything unusual or remarkable.”

Asked whether Cricket Australia should reopen its investigation into the events of eight years ago, which it has refused to do, he replied: “I don’t want to express a view on what Cricket Australia should or should not do, eight years on and from the other end of the world”.

He added: “If indeed Steve Smith took the blame for a lot of other people who didn’t put their hand up, others who didn’t should maybe reflect on that. They should reflect on their silence, if what Khawaja says is right. I know there are some people who contest it.”

David Warner’s manager James Erskine said this week that CA had been reacting to what Turnbull had said by imposing such heavy penalties on players.

Sam Perry, The Grade Cricketer podcast

“I’ll reserve judgment on what’s happened with sandpaper until the bowlers speak. I assume at least one of them would be well advised to pen their own book that needs to be titled If I Did It,” Perry said.

“We don’t even know what the f***ing question is anymore with sandpaper, which is again a clever piece of strategy from those who have benefited from it.

“Cricket Australia’s early posture seems to be via Todd Greenberg’s comments that a few people have been spoken to, there’s a few different recollections of events, we’re not going to reopen the case.

“We never knew that MacGill was ahead of his time when he said move on.”

Andrew Menczel, Cricket Unfiltered podcast

“I have heard all opinions across the spectrum today,” Menczel said.

“I’m sorry, but I’m sticking to my line that there was no need to do this. The truth has always been out there.

“If you looked closely enough, if you read enough books, the truth has always been out there. All this does is throw his mates under the bus.

“And that’s the guy that in the same book complains that he wasn’t made Australian captain.

“Wow.”

Jack Snape, the Guardian

Despite the bowlers’ stated wish in 2021 to move on, this saga may be one that never goes away. Although Cricket Australia will not reopen the investigation, Cummins, as the Australian test captain, and his fellow bowlers will not be able to avoid making public statements on the matter this summer as they take on New Zealand in a four-test series.

Nor will Smith, who remains one of Australia’s best batters, and Mitch Marsh, who was in the Cape Town side and captains Australia’s one‑day international team. Marsh is expected to speak to media on Thursday in Perth ahead of the white-ball series against England.

Recent days have also sharpened criticism of Khawaja, including from those within the cricket community. The batter has always been outspoken, but his book has rankled many. He has already sought to counter criticism that he is trying to make money from the controversy.

Bancroft was met by reporters at Melbourne airport on Monday and kept his cards close to his chest. “In regards to Uzzy’s book and I guess the media that’s kind of come about there over the last few days, I don’t have any further comments to add,” he said, before adding: “At this stage.”

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