Mitchell Starc has rejected claims of prior knowledge regarding Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering plot in South Africa, as Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg officially ruled out reopening the investigation into “Sandpapergate.”
Speaking in Sydney, Starc was the first member of Australia’s bowling lineup to address allegations in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, which asserted that the full team knew of plans to alter the condition of the ball to achieve reverse swing.
Reaffirming the joint statement made by Australia’s bowling unit in 2021, Starc insisted that his recollection remained unchanged and that the bowlers were unaware a “foreign substance” had been brought onto the field. He also stated he had no knowledge of alleged tampering during the second Test in Gqeberha, another claim raised in Khawaja’s book, leaving it for the author to explain.
Starc’s remarks came shortly after retired opener David Warner publicly backed Khawaja, describing the original 2018 probe as “botched” and “rushed.” Despite growing calls from former captain Michael Clarke and media figures for a fresh inquiry, CA CEO Todd Greenberg confirmed the governing body sees no compelling reason to revisit the matter.
Greenberg acknowledged the conflicting accounts between Khawaja and other squad members but maintained that CA remains satisfied with the conclusions reached by its original integrity investigation.
Meanwhile, Australian captain Pat Cummins downplayed any potential squad tension, noting the issue had been thoroughly addressed in the past. Responding to pundits who questioned his timing, Khawaja dismissed suggestions that his revelations were a commercial ploy to boost book sales.
