Pat Cummins to address media over Usman Khawaja's sandpaper revelations

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has confirmed he will hold a media interaction on November 13, to address the allegations made by Usman Khawaja in his recently released autobiography, Sabr. The session is scheduled ahead of New South Wales' Sheffield Shield fixture, with Cummins set to speak before the day's play begins.

Cummins stated that he needed time to understand the full extent of what Khawaja had written before responding publicly. He acknowledged there was a long list of allegations to work through, which is why he opted for a formal media session rather than an immediate reaction.

"I'm training at Cricket Central tomorrow morning before the Blues play in the Shield match. Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week at 9.30am. I've taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy's allegations so I can respond properly," Cummins wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Khawaja's book, published in November 2026, claims that every member of the Australian touring party was aware of the plan to use sandpaper during the second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 2018. Former Australia bowler Chad Sayers has since confirmed Khawaja's account of events from that match, adding further weight to the revelations.

Why has Cummins waited until Friday to respond?

The volume and sensitivity of the allegations in Sabr appear to be the primary reason Cummins chose not to respond immediately. He indicated that working through a long list of claims required careful consideration before he could offer a measured public statement, making a scheduled press conference the appropriate format.

The delay also reflects how deeply the 2018 ball-tampering scandal continues to affect Australian cricket. On Wednesday, Khawaja appeared in a television interview but declined to confirm whether Australia's bowlers were directly involved in the sandpaper plot. Mitchell Marsh, at a news conference on Thursday, November 12, also refused to discuss the matter, leaving Cummins as the senior figure expected to break the silence on Friday.

Which current Australian players are connected to the 2021 joint statement?

The renewed scrutiny over the Port Elizabeth Test has drawn attention back to a joint statement issued in 2021 by four players who were part of the Australian setup at the time of the 2018 scandal. Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all signed that statement in relation to the ball-tampering episode, where they said they were unaware of what was being done to the ball. This came after Cameron Bancroft, the perpetrator of the incident on field, hinted to the press that the entire team was in on the plans to tamper with the ball.

All four, Cummins, Lyon, Hazlewood and Starc, remain part of the current Australian squad. Their continued presence in the team means Friday's media session at Cricket Central carries considerable weight, as Cummins is expected to speak not only for himself but potentially on behalf of the group that issued that earlier statement.