According to Usman Khawaja, everyone was in on it. Surely, in Australia, we do not sweep a systemic problem under the carpet by pinning it on a few bad apples?
It may seem odd, to Australians of a non-cricketing persuasion, that the nation’s attention can be so captivated by a defunct caper to scuff the leather coating on a ball during a pageant of male colonial bonding.
But to grasp the civilisational stakes of sandpapergate , you need to understand a few things.
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Claims the entire Australian team knew of the 2018 sandpaper cheating plot are dividing the cricket world.
Cummins to speak about allegations in Khawaja’s book about the 2018 ball-tampering incident
New claims by Usman Khawaja have reignited debate over the ball tampering scandal and Cricket Australia's response.
The only certain truth now is that there is a wedge between Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja, and probably between Cummins and David Warner, too. That is sad.
Pat Cummins will answer questions about sandpaper gate at 9.30am (AEDT) before Australia and England meet for an ODI in Perth.
Keeping the cricket ball in the perfect condition to behave the way you want it to has always been a part of cricket, but the Australians and their yellow scrap of sandpaper shed harsh light on the sport's so-called dark arts.
