Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying there is no compelling reason to launch a fresh inquiry despite new revelations in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography.
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Todd Greenberg said the conflicting accounts provided by players were unlikely to produce any new findings, adding that reopening the investigation would serve little purpose.
The controversy resurfaced after Khawaja revealed in his autobiography, Sabr, that the entire Australian team was involved in the ball-tampering episode during the 2018 tour of South Africa. Fellow opener David Warner subsequently backed Khawaja’s claims and criticised the original investigation, describing it as botched and calling for greater accountability and transparency.
Meanwhile, Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has denied knowing about the use of sandpaper before the Cape Town Test, insisting that his recollection of events remains unchanged.
Starc said he and fellow bowlers Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon had already clarified their position in a joint statement issued in 2021. He maintained that they were unaware of anything being taken onto the field and only discovered the sandpaper incident after seeing it on the stadium’s big screen.
Starc also suggested he was unlikely to read Khawaja’s book and said he had not spoken to his former teammate in recent days.
The renewed controversy has also drawn comments from Starc’s wife, former Australian captain Alyssa Healy, who questioned the timing of Khawaja’s revelations.
The 2018 scandal resulted in bans for David Warner, Cameron Bancroft and Steve Smith following Australia’s ball-tampering incident during the Cape Town Test.
