Former Australia team-mate challenges Pat Cummins’ sandpapergate account

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Former Australia bowler Chadd Sayers has challenged Pat Cummins’ account of the sandpaper scandal, restating his belief that “everyone in that side” was aware of the ball tampering plot.

The publication of Usman Khawaja’s autobiography reopened the saga after more than eight years, with claims that the entire touring party had knowledge of the conspiracy in Cape Town, which ended with the trio of Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner landing lengthy bans.

Khawaja claimed he had floated the idea of taking collective responsibility, only for two unnamed team-mates to refuse.

Warner has publicly backed Khawaja but current Australia captain Cummins hit back with a remarkable 69-minute press conference in Sydney where he stated his innocence in definitive terms and branded the allegations “complete and utter nonsense”.

Now Sayers, who was 12th man in the ill-fated Newlands Test and won his only cap in the subsequent match, has lined up alongside Khawaja.

Speaking to SEN Radio ahead of the second ODI against England in Adelaide, the 39-year-old said: “I’m comfortable sitting here right now and where I stand on the situation, that I believe everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used.

“It (sandpaper) was used in two Test matches and there were discussions in change rooms of how we were going to get the ball to reverse and what was going to be used.

“My recollection isn’t as clear as it was obviously eight years ago, I just know that there was numerous conversations of it around in the change rooms. I knew that it was going to be used, as I believe everyone else did.”

Sayers also revealed his own role, which involved taking the offending item off the field when he was performing his 12th man duties.

“The plan was that Cameron Bancroft was going to take that out, the ball was going to be dropped on the on the ground by the umpires and he was going to go about business,” he said.

“(The sandpaper) was given to me to take off. I was just the player who took the drinks out at the time. (I came) on to the field with drinks and, yeah, it was passed on to me.

“I was trying to fit into the Australian side, probably similar to Cam Bancroft, and we were probably a young demographic then. We didn’t know how big it was going to get and I guess you probably don’t think you’re going to get caught doing it.”

Sayers stated that the issue of who would publicly accept responsibility was discussed by the team for between 60 and 90 minutes – another detail Cummins has denied being part of.

Reflecting on his admissions, the 39-year-old added: “It’s been hard because you obviously got to tip-toe around and not be able to tell the truth.

“It’s probably a relief now that it’s out there in the open and now you can speak openly about it. It’s a bit of a relief that it’s out.”