Mitchell Starc has publicly rejected Usman Khawaja’s claims that the entire Australian team knew about the ball-tampering scandal during the 2018 Test series against South Africa, raising questions about whether the former teammates will speak again.
The Australian fast bowler became the first member of the team’s bowling group to address the latest revelations on Tuesday, following the publication of explosive excerpts from Khawaja’s newly released autobiography.
Starc maintained that he had no knowledge of the use of sandpaper before Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera tampering with the ball during the Cape Town Test in March 2018.
He also denied knowing that sandpaper had allegedly been used during the previous Test of the series at St George’s Park, directly contradicting Khawaja’s account.
Speaking at the launch of Kayo Cricket on Tuesday, Starc reiterated the position previously outlined by Australia’s bowlers in a 2021 statement.
“We weren’t aware anything was taken onto the field to be tampered with,” Starc said.
“We saw (the sandpaper) on the big screen in Cape Town.”
He also indicated that he had no intention of reading Khawaja’s autobiography, adding: “As far as the book is concerned, I haven’t read it.
I probably won’t read it. So that’s for Usman to elaborate on.”
Starc Leaves Door Open Over Future Communication With Khawaja
Starc also addressed the possibility of his relationship with Khawaja being affected by the disagreement over the events of 2018.
The fast bowler revealed that he had not spoken to his former teammate in the previous day or two following the publication of the autobiography excerpts.
When asked whether he expected the pair to speak again, Starc responded: “It’s up to him.”
He also declined to explain why Khawaja’s recollection of the scandal differed so significantly from his own.
“That’s a question for him,” Starc said.
“I’ll stick to what I said five years ago, what I said at the time, eight years ago.”
He added that different individuals appeared to have different accounts of the incident and that he intended to maintain the position he had previously stated.
“Clearly, there are different versions from different people, and I’ll leave it where I left it back then.”
Cricket Australia Rules Out Reopening Sandpapergate Investigation
Starc’s comments came after Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg ruled out reopening the investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
The original investigation concluded that only three players knew about the plan: then-captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
However, Khawaja’s recent revelations have challenged that account, with the former Australian Test opener claiming that knowledge of the plan extended beyond the three players identified in the investigation.
Warner has also publicly supported Khawaja’s version of events.
In a post on Instagram, the former Australian opener described Khawaja’s claims as “100 per cent accurate” and criticised Cricket Australia’s investigation, calling it “rushed and botched”.
Despite the renewed controversy, Greenberg maintained that there was no compelling reason for the governing body to revisit its findings.
Khawaja Denies Using Scandal to Boost Autobiography Sales
Meanwhile, Khawaja has strongly rejected suggestions that he included the Sandpapergate revelations in his autobiography to generate publicity and increase book sales.
The former Test opener addressed the criticism in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, insisting that he did not negotiate with publisher Penguin to include the controversy in his memoir.
“I did not negotiate a thing with Penguin when it came to sandpaper or any other topics in my life,” Khawaja said.
“We didn’t even talk about it.”
He explained that he signed his publishing agreement in 2023 and was given complete control over the content of the autobiography.
According to Khawaja, the publisher simply encouraged him to tell his story, leaving him responsible for deciding what to include.
He said it took just over two years to complete the manuscript, which he submitted as a final draft.
Khawaja also claimed that both Penguin and his management team were surprised by the contents when they first received the completed book.
He dismissed suggestions that the controversy was included for financial reasons, insisting that he did not need the money and would probably have earned a similar amount from the memoir without discussing the ball-tampering scandal.
Sandpapergate Controversy Overshadows Australia’s Upcoming Summer
The renewed disagreement has become a major talking point ahead of Australia’s men’s cricket summer, with several current and former players facing questions about the 2018 scandal.
The issue dominated discussions at the Kayo Cricket launch, with Starc expressing disappointment that the controversy was overshadowing preparations for the upcoming fixtures.
“It’s definitely disappointing that that’s what we’re talking about heading into what’s already kicked off as a really exciting summer,” he said.
Starc acknowledged that individuals involved in the events may have viewed the situation differently over the years, including players and members of the coaching staff.
He also mentioned former Australia coach Darren Lehmann, popularly known as Boof, saying his involvement should not be overlooked as discussions about the scandal continue.
Starc further pointed out that the Australian team had undergone significant changes since 2018, referring to comments made by teammate Travis Head about the group’s transformation.
He said the team’s attention was better directed towards upcoming matches rather than revisiting events from eight years ago.
Australia captain Mitch Marsh is expected to speak before the first One-Day International against England later in the week and could face further questions about the controversy.
Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne and Scott Boland have also been questioned about the latest revelations in recent days.
