‘My recollection hasn’t changed’: Starc rejects tampering claim as Khawaja dodges request to name players

Mitchell Starc has disputed Usman Khawaja’s explosive claim that every member of the Australian team knew about the ball-tampering plot during the infamous 2018 Test series against South Africa, declaring he has no intention of reading his former teammate’s book and suggesting their future relationship is now in Khawaja’s hands.

Amid a series of disclosures in his autobiography, Sabr, which was released on Tuesday, Khawaja suggested the entire Australian team, including now captain Pat Cummins and other bowlers, knew about the plot to use sandpaper on the ball in the third Test in Cape Town eight years ago and that the tactic had also been deployed in the previous Test, in Gqeberha.

But pressed on the ABC’s 7:30 on Tuesday night about whether specific players, including Cummins, were involved in conversations about ball tampering, Khawaja refused to answer.

“I’m just not going to entertain that,” Khawaja said.

“And I say that for one reason – I wrote it [the details] in my book because it was a safe space for me to write.

“It took a long time to, first, write the chapter …. and go over it and work out a way that it was as balanced as possible.”

Asked specifically if Cummins had prior knowledge that sandpaper was being used to change the surface of the ball, Khawaja said: “I’m not going to answer that. I’ve written what I’ve written in my book.

“I’ve come out and stood by those three guys [the suspended players David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft] and told my account of what I saw.

“I’ve been very clear … there are instances when I talk about ‘us’ and ‘them’, but I’ve been very clear in not naming names and staying out of it. I’m not going to start now.

“This has never been a witch hunt for me.

“You’ve got to remember [that] Pat Cummins is a good friend of mine. Mitchell Starc, a lot of these guys [are and] other players in the team [are too].

“I’m not here to go on a witch hunt. All I’ve ever wanted is for us to take accountability as a team.”

The latest sandpaper saga developments came as Starc’s wife and former Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy said she would have no problem sharing a commentary box with Khawaja and Warner this summer, despite describing the timing of the controversial book as “a little bit stinky”, while former England captain Michael Vaughan said he would have liked Khawaja to donate its profits to charity.

With Khawaja’s allegations – backed by Warner on Monday evening – threatening to overshadow the start of Australia’s home Test summer, Cricket Australia’s nightmare played out at a Kayo Sports launch in Sydney on Tuesday.

Starc became the first member of Australia’s current Test team to face the media since Khawaja’s book reignited debate over who knew what during the ill-fated tour that culminated in Bancroft being caught concealing sandpaper down his trousers in Cape Town.

The veteran fast bowler was polite but bristled visibly when asked questions about the scandal, with a Cricket Australia media manager attempting to move the press conference along to a different subject less than four minutes after it began.

This time, the wounds of 2018 have been reopened not by the media but by two of Starc’s former Test teammates in Khawaja and Warner, with the latter saying everything in the book is “100 per cent” accurate.

On 7:30, Khawaja was quizzed about whether he believed Cricket Australia perpetuated a “cover-up” to stop more players than the three affected from being banned.

“I don’t feel like it was a thorough investigation,” Khawaja said.

“Because I never got investigated – and I was sitting next to Cameron Bancroft the whole time. So it’s hard for me to say cover-up, but I will say it [the investigation] felt rushed.”

As former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe noted on Tuesday: “It’s the bubble around town. Who’s telling the truth? They could all be telling the truth.”

Starc said he stood by a joint statement released in 2021 with fellow bowlers Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon denying they had any knowledge that sandpaper had been taken onto the field in Cape Town to tamper with the ball.

Sources close to the other three bowlers, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say they share Starc’s position and have no intention of backing away from their original statement. Cummins, the incumbent Test captain, is being encouraged to front the media this week and address allegations that he and others knew more than they have publicly acknowledged.

“I thought we were here for the summer of cricket,” Starc said with a laugh. “I haven’t really paid much attention to it [the coverage of Khawaja’s claims]. Obviously, there are different opinions to about eight years ago. We were heavily drilled through the process at the time and since. 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.”

Asked whether “everyone knew”, Starc responded: “It’s obviously in a book. That’s for someone to explain further. As far as our statement said [in 2021], we weren’t aware of it being taken on the field. That’s where I’ll leave it.”

Asked whether he knew the ball was being tampered with in one way or another, Starc said: “We weren’t aware it was taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen [for the first time] 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.”

Starc also denied knowing that Bancroft or any other Australian player had used sandpaper during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, as alleged by Khawaja.

“That’s the first I was aware of it [in Cape Town]. I’ll leave that for the said author to explain,” Starc said.

Beyond the conflicting accounts of what unfolded in South Africa, Khawaja’s revelations appear to have strained relationships with some of his former teammates.

Starc said he had not spoken to Khawaja “in the last day or two”, but when asked whether he would ever speak to him again, his response was telling.

“It’s up to him,” Starc said.

One person who will have no choice but to work alongside Khawaja and Warner this summer is Healy, with all three part of the Kayo Sports and Fox Cricket commentary team.

Speaking on the Keepin’ It Cricket podcast this week, Healy joked that she had been “scraping bits of Mitch off the bitumen after the bus just hit him over the last two days”.

“The timing of it is a little bit stinky,” said the former Australian wicketkeeper. “I don’t like that. It’s coming off South Africa, which didn’t end well for the boys.”

But speaking on Tuesday, Healy dismissed suggestions there would be tension in the commentary box and said she had no intention of raising the controversy with either Khawaja or Warner, both long-time teammates of Starc.

“I’m not one to sit there and worry about sitting next to anyone in the commentary box, regardless of who it is. We’re a team,” Healy said.

“From my perspective, it seems to be a little bit closer maybe for me than some of the other [commentators]. Most of the blokes back there just say, ‘Let’s move on and get back to the cricket’. But from my perspective, I’m completely comfortable with [working alongside them].”

The controversy has generated so much attention since this masthead’s interview with Khawaja on Saturday that the retired opener admitted to Triple M on Tuesday even he had been surprised by the reaction. But Khawaja denied his revelations were motivated by money.

“The only gripe with me is that it’s come out in a book,” said Vaughan. “Obviously it’s a commercial game. Usman will say not, but I’d have loved for him to have announced that he’s bringing a book out and all the proceeds are going to charity.”

With Australia preparing for the first Test against New Zealand in Perth on December 9, Starc made no secret of his frustration that the scandal had once again become a major talking point.

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

“I think not only the certain players, but certainly, there’s some staff members. ‘Boof’ [coach Darren Lehmann] for one has spoken a little bit as well. He’s not to be forgotten in all of that, too. I think Travis [Head] said it best the other day that the group has changed a lot. We certainly look forward to what’s coming up more so than what’s been gone.”

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