Starc addresses Khawaja's claims as Cricket Australia rejects fresh probe

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has reiterated that his understanding of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal remains unchanged, despite fresh allegations from former teammate Usman Khawaja that the entire team knew about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball.

Starc addressed the controversy while speaking to reporters at the launch of Kayo Sports and Fox Cricket’s Summer of the Century event in Sydney on Tuesday.

The left-arm pacer maintained that neither he nor the other bowlers knew a foreign substance had been brought onto the field until the incident appeared on the stadium's big screen.

Meanwhile, Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg has ruled out reopening the investigation, insisting that revisiting the matter would serve no meaningful purpose.

What did Starc say about Khawaja’s allegations?

Starc said he had largely avoided following the latest controversy but acknowledged that different members of the 2018 Australian team had offered contrasting accounts of the incident.

“I haven’t really paid much attention to be fair,” he said when asked about the media circus surrounding Khawaja’s revisiting of the scandal.

“Obviously there’s differing opinions of eight years ago. We were heavily drilled through the process at the time and since - and I guess I won’t speak on behalf of the bowlers - but where I stand, my opinion hasn’t changed.

“My recollection hasn’t changed from what we said in 2021.”

Khawaja recently alleged that the entire Australian team was aware of the ball-tampering plan, challenging the long-standing account that only Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner were involved.

Asked whether the bowling group knew Bancroft was using sandpaper, Starc referred to the statements previously made by the fast bowlers.

“That’s obviously in a book, that’s for someone to explain further,” he said.

“As far as our statement said, we weren’t aware of sandpaper being taken on the field.”

Did Australia's bowlers know about the previous incident?

Another significant aspect of Khawaja's revelations concerned the possibility that Australia had also used sandpaper during the preceding Test against South Africa at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth.

Starc said he had no knowledge of such an incident before the recent claims emerged.

“Yeah that’s the first I was aware of any of that taking place in PE (Port Elizabeth),” he said.

“I’ll leave that for said authors to explain.”

He further maintained that the bowlers had no prior knowledge of anything being brought onto the field for ball tampering.

“As our statement said, we weren’t aware of things being taken on the field, that’s where I’ll leave it.”

Khawaja also described how the players allegedly understood the umpires' positioning and the absence of cameras near the boundary, claiming that the team knew when an opportunity would arise to tamper with the ball.

Starc rejected that account as being inconsistent with his own experience.

“We weren’t aware it was taken on the field to be tampered with,” he said.

He added that he had not read Khawaja's book and was unlikely to do so, leaving the former opener to provide further clarification.

“We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town. As far as the book’s concerned, I haven’t read it and probably won’t read it, so that’s for Usman to elaborate on.”

Why did Starc want the controversy to end?

Despite defending his account, Starc admitted that the renewed attention surrounding sandpapergate was disappointing, particularly with Australia preparing for another busy international summer.

“It’s definitely disappointing that’s what we’re talking about heading into a really exciting summer. Different people felt different ways about it at the time, throughout and certainly through the last eight years,” he said.

He also pointed out that the Australian team had undergone considerable changes since the 2018 incident and was now focused on upcoming challenges.

“I think Trav (Head) said it the other day, that the group has changed a lot. We certainly look forward to what’s coming up.”

When asked whether the Australian dressing room was a happy environment during the 2018 tour, Starc responded: “We’re not in 2018 anymore, are we?”

He added: “So, the group at the moment’s great.”

What did the bowlers say in their 2021 statement?

The latest controversy has brought renewed attention to the joint statement released by Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon in 2021.

The four bowlers issued the statement after Bancroft's interview with The Guardian, in which he was asked whether Australia's bowling group knew about the ball-tampering plan.

Bancroft had reportedly responded: "Yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it's pretty probably self-explanatory".

In their response, the bowlers strongly rejected suggestions that they had prior knowledge of the plan.

“We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018,” it read.

They further clarified their position, stating:

“We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands.

“And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.”

“None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened.”

The bowlers also urged the public to move on, concluding: “We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo. It has gone on too long and it is time to move on.”

However, Khawaja's latest claims have once again placed the bowlers' version of events under scrutiny.

David Warner, who has shared a close friendship with Khawaja since childhood, has also backed his former teammate's account, declaring that it was "100 per cent accurate".

Meanwhile, Western Australia coach Beau Casson said Bancroft was content to "let his bat do the talking" after the batter marked Australia's return to Cape Town in 2026 with a century in WA's Sheffield Shield victory over South Australia.

Will Cricket Australia reopen the Sandpapergate investigation?

While the fresh allegations have reignited debate, Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has made it clear that the governing body has no intention of launching another investigation into the scandal.

Greenberg confirmed that he had spoken to several members of the 2018 touring squad following Khawaja's revelations but maintained that the original investigation had reached an acceptable conclusion.

"We don't see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again. I don't think there's anything that can be gained from that," Greenberg told SEN.

He added: "We have said we're comfortable with the outcome of the investigation based on the information we've received.

"That includes what we've seen from Usman, and our position hasn't changed on that."

The original Cricket Australia investigation held Bancroft, Smith and Warner responsible for the ball-tampering incident, with all three receiving suspensions before eventually returning to international cricket.

Greenberg argued that revisiting decisions made under previous leadership would not be productive.

"There's absolutely no benefit in going back, that's the clear position of the CA board."

He also acknowledged that the incident had prompted significant changes within Australian cricket, including a cultural review and adjustments to coaching and high-performance structures.

However, he admitted that putting the controversy completely behind them would remain difficult.

Why does Greenberg believe the truth will remain disputed?

Greenberg suggested that the conflicting accounts from members of the 2018 squad made it unlikely that everyone would ever agree on what happened.

"When you cut to the core of the challenge that we face here, Usman's version of events is inconsistent with what others have had to say," Greenberg said.

"I can assure you there are lots of other players who have a very, very different version of events."

He added that several players had maintained their accounts consistently since the scandal first emerged.

"From my conversations with many over the weekend, I don't think that will change either."

Greenberg also indicated that the four bowlers continued to stand by their 2021 statement.

"In many of my conversations with them (the 2018 bowling group) over the weekend, their position has remained consistent and hasn't changed," he said.

Cummins is expected to address the matter in the coming days or weeks, while Starc has already made his position clear. Hazlewood is not involved in Australia's upcoming ODI and T20I series against England, which begins in Perth on Friday.

Nathan Lyon has been named in New South Wales' Sheffield Shield squad for this week but could withdraw because of the impending birth of his child.

For now, Cricket Australia's position remains unchanged, while Khawaja's revelations have reopened questions that the governing body believes were settled eight years ago.