David Warner has accused Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins of “throwing Usman Khawaja under the bus” over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, while revealing the devastating impact the controversy had on his family, including the miscarriage suffered by his wife, Candice.
Cummins had earlier rejected Khawaja’s claim that the wider Australian team knew sandpaper would be used during the Test series in South Africa in 2018, describing the allegation as “complete and utter nonsense”.
He also criticised his former teammate for being “casual with lives and reputations”, denying that the players had held a meeting about sharing responsibility or created any “masterplan” involving illegal methods.
Speaking on Fox Cricket before Australia’s one-day international against England at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Friday, Warner defended his childhood friend Khawaja.
The former opener also detailed the personal cost of Sandpapergate, saying he and Candice had suffered the greatest consequences and connecting the emotional trauma of the scandal to her miscarriage.
“We accepted what happened, but my wife and I ultimately paid the biggest price. We lost a baby during that period, and that is why it still hurts so much until the truth is acknowledged,” Warner said.
He described Cummins’ response to claims made in Khawaja’s recently published biography as carefully prepared.
“I stand by what Uzzie wrote in that book. It is the truth,” Warner said.
David Warner accused Australian Test captain Pat Cummins of throwing Usman Khawaja “under the bus” while working for Fox Cricket on Friday
David Warner and his wife Candice lost their unborn child a week after returning home from South Africa following the Sandpapergate scandal
“I support Usman, and I genuinely feel for him at the moment.
“I believe the captain threw Uzzie under the bus today, and I’m extremely disappointed.”
Warner, former Test captain Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were each handed lengthy suspensions by Cricket Australia for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal.
“The three of us have paid a huge price. I had not spoken about it for eight years, but we have to carry those consequences every day. It has felt like a life sentence.
“When other people say they have been affected by it, nothing compares with what Steve, Cameron and I face when we walk out and receive abuse every day.”
Warner said he had spoken with both Khawaja and Bancroft, describing them as “quite upset” by the latest developments.
“In the eight years since it happened, nobody from that changeroom has spoken to us about it. For all the talk of mateship and honesty between teammates, there has been no contact and no questions,” he said.
“We are all adults and willing to have a conversation. I have played golf with Pat Cummins, shared changerooms with him and won World Cups alongside him, yet it has never been raised.”
Warner said he and his wife Candice endured the heaviest personal cost of Sandpapergate
He responded to Cummins’ comments while commentating for Fox Cricket on Friday
“Pat is not going to agree with me, just as I will not agree with him. He has made his position on Uzzie’s book clear, but I continue to support Uzzie’s version of events.”
Asked by Fox Cricket colleague and former Australia great Adam Gilchrist whether Cricket Australia should launch another inquiry, Warner said CA chief executive Todd Greenberg had already ruled that out.
“It has been difficult because of the way the original investigation was conducted. Going back and offering further evidence was never easy,” Warner said.
“It seemed like a rushed investigation designed to bring everything to an end. Some of the questions were difficult and the process felt as though responsibility had been placed on us before we simply had to accept it and move forward.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan then asked Warner whether he had definitive evidence that other players knew sandpaper would be used.
“There will be discussions behind the scenes once all of this is over,” Warner replied.
Warner was part of the commentary team alongside Alyssa Healy, who is married to his former Australia teammate Mitchell Starc. Starc has previously denied knowing about the plan to use sandpaper.
Candice Warner has previously said she suffered a miscarriage one week after she, David and their young daughters returned to Sydney from South Africa in the aftermath of the scandal.
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has responded publicly to Usman Khawaja’s explosive Sandpapergate allegations
From left: Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Starc, the four bowlers involved in the Cape Town Test, have all denied knowing sandpaper was being taken onto the field
Khawaja and Cummins pictured together on the sidelines during a Test match in 2018
“I woke up feeling unwell and called Dave into the bathroom because I was bleeding. We knew I was having a miscarriage, so we held each other and cried,” Candice told Nine’s Now to Love at the time.
“It was a heartbreaking end to an already horrific tour. Like many families who have experienced miscarriage, we were devastated.
“The entire experience, from the public humiliation to the ball-tampering scandal, had taken a terrible toll. From that moment, we decided that no sport or anything else would ever be allowed to affect our lives in that way again.
“At the time, I felt that I had let us down and that my body had failed us. I have come a long way since then. I am deeply spiritual and believe it simply was not their time to be with us. Despite the loss, I know without question that my purpose in life is to be a mother.”
The Warners welcomed their third daughter one year after the miscarriage.
Cummins reiterated on Friday the position he set out in 2021 alongside Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon, when the four bowlers denied any knowledge of the alleged plan.
“If Khawaja means we knew sandpaper was going to be taken onto the field, then he is completely wrong,” Cummins told reporters.
“I have said that consistently for the past eight years.
“The suggestion that I and others designed a plan to tamper with the ball using sandpaper is complete and utter nonsense.
“I have been wrestling with it over the past few days. Usman is a friend, but I do not think it is acceptable to be so casual about people’s lives and reputations. That is not how friends should treat one another.”
A reporter then asked Cummins: “If only one of you is telling the truth, which one is it?”
“That is my account, so I believe Usman is wrong,” Cummins replied, adding that he had no plans to take legal action over the allegations.
