David Warner accuses Cricket Australia of cover-up over 2018 ball-tampering scandal
Warner claims Cricket Australia did not interview three bowlers during the investigation into the Cape Town Test incident.
David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of a cover-up, saying Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were not interviewed in the 2018 investigation. Cricket Australia responded that all players were given the opportunity to speak.
Key takeaways
- David Warner accused Cricket Australia of a cover-up over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
- Warner claimed Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were not interviewed in the investigation.
- Usman Khawaja said in his autobiography that the entire Australia team knew about the sandpaper use.
- Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have said they did not know about the plan to tamper with the ball.
- Cricket Australia said all players were given the opportunity to speak at the time of the investigation.
David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of a "cover-up" over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, claiming the board ran a "shoddy investigation" to protect a false narrative.
The former Australia vice-captain made the accusation on Saturday after opener Usman Khawaja said in his new autobiography that the entire Australia team knew about the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball during the Test series in South Africa.
Warner, who was one of three players sent home after the third Test alongside Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, said on Instagram that Cricket Australia did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon during its 2018 investigation.
"As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation," Warner wrote. "If that's correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn't know?
It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning, ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose, and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea. "
Background and penalties
Warner, Smith and Bancroft all served lengthy bans following Cricket Australia's investigation into the incident. Warner retired from Australia duty in 2024.
The four frontline bowlers from the Cape Town Test - Hazlewood, Starc, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins - have maintained they did not know about the plan to use sandpaper to rough up the ball. "
Cricket Australia response
Cricket Australia responded to Warner's comments by saying all players were given the opportunity to speak at the time of the initial investigation and have had the ability to come forward with new evidence in the eight years since.
The board said it has respected every player and former player's right to provide their own version of events. Cummins has denied knowing about the sandpaper plot during the Cape Town Test and criticized Khawaja's allegations.
Key figures from the 2018 ball-tampering scandal and related claims
Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
Year of Cape Town Test ball-tampering scandal | 2018 |
Length of David Warner's ban | Year-long |
Years since initial investigation | Eight |
Bowlers Warner said were not interviewed | Three |
Frontline bowlers who say they did not know | Four |
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