David Warner accuses Cricket Australia of cover up in ball-tampering scandal
The former Australian opener claimed the governing body failed to interview several bowlers during its 2018 investigation into the Cape Town incident.
Former Australia opener David Warner has alleged that Cricket Australia (CA) conducted a cover up regarding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. According to a report by The Times of India, Warner claimed on Instagram on Saturday that CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, or Nathan Lyon during its investigation.
Warner questioned how CA could maintain the narrative that the bowlers were unaware of the incident if they were not interviewed. He alleged that CA ran a shoddy investigation to serve a specific purpose and decided who to blame from the beginning.
The controversy resurfaced following claims made by Usman Khawaja in his memoir, Sabr, which alleged the entire Australian team knew about the plan to use sandpaper during the Cape Town Test.
Australia captain Pat Cummins dismissed the claims made in Khawaja's book as "complete and utter nonsense" during a press conference on Friday. Warner also stated on Friday that he felt Cummins had thrown Khawaja under the bus.
CA has previously stated that it has no intention of reopening the investigation into the 2018 incident. Following the original scandal, Warner and then-captain Steve Smith received one-year bans, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.