Pat Cummins press conference live updates: Australian cricket captain to speak about Usman Khawaja’s ‘Sandpapergate’ claims

Mitchell Starc has rejected claims in Usman Khawaja’s book about Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he did not know sandpaper was taken on to the field. His comments add to differing accounts of what players knew about the events in Cape Town.

Starc said he saw the sandpaper on the stadium’s big screen during the Newlands Test, but had not read Khawaja’s book and did not plan to. He said his recollection remained consistent with a 2021 statement by the bowlers denying knowledge of the ball-tampering plan, and that he would leave further explanation to Khawaja.