Marsh dodges Khawaja claims as Cummins vows to ‘respond properly’

Mitchell Marsh declined to discuss Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal at a news conference, saying he had moved on and was focused on the one-day series against England. The issue has returned to public attention after Usman Khawaja’s autobiography described a discussion about using sandpaper, renewing questions about what the players knew.

Captain Pat Cummins said he would address the allegations after taking time to understand their full extent. Khawaja wrote that “it was all of us” and urged collective responsibility; Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon said in a 2021 statement that they did not know a foreign substance had been taken on to the field. Cricket Australia’s interim chair David Boon backed Cummins to remain captain, while England captain Harry Brook said his team was concentrating on the three-match series, which starts on Friday.