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PlayersDavid Warner raises questions about Cricket Australia's investigation into sandpapergate: ‘Forced to make decisions, why all evidence was not given?’
The former Australia opener took to Instagram to say he was forced to make certain decisions in 2018 in the aftermath of the Sandpapergate.
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David Warner, the former Australian opener, further doubled down on Sunday regarding his claims of a botched investigation into the Sandpapergate eight years ago.
After alleging that Cricket Australia didn't interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, Warner on Sunday clarified his claim, saying that he just gave his version of the story as far as he was aware. He added that he was never told the bowlers had indeed been interviewed by CA.
Warner, who was banned for one year for his role in the ball-tampering episode, questioned CA for not providing all the evidence and for withholding information from him.
“Just to clarify, as far as I am aware, was the POINT. I was never told the bowlers had been interviewed or provided statements. That information would have been pretty useful when I was forced to make decisions back in 2018,” Warner wrote on Instagram.
“Why weren't we given all the evidence by CA?” he added.
After Cameron Bancroft was seen on camera applying sandpaper to the ball during the Cape Town Test, Warner stepped down as Australia's vice-captain. It happened before the final sanctions were announced on Warner, Bancroft and the then-captain Steve Smith.
On March 30, 2018, Warner addressed the media, issuing a public apology, accepting blame for what transpired during the Newlands Test. Later, he was handed a 12-month ban by CA and was told that he would never be able to hold a leadership position in the national team.
Recent developments
On Friday, Warner had alleged that Cricket Australia didn't interview Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood as part of their sandpapergate investigation in 2018, saying it all seemed like a “cover-up.”
Hours later, Cricket Australia released a statement, neither confirming nor denying Warner's claims. “As we have stated previously, 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,” a CA spokesperson said, as per the Sydney Morning Herald.
“Subsequently, CA has respected every player and former players’ right to provide their own version of events," the statement added.
The sandpapergate once again came into the spotlight after Usman Khawaja's autobiography ‘Sabr’ made some startling revelations. He claimed that the entire team knew about the ball-tampering ploy. However, this remark has already been denied by both Starc and Pat Cummins.
The Australian captain Cummins addressed the media earlier this week, where he lashed out at Khawaja's allegations, saying, “friends aren't casual with each other's lives and reputations.”
Back in 2018, CA imposed a 12-month ban on both Smith and Warner, while Bancroft was suspended for 9 months for his involvement in the ball-tampering saga. No other player or coach was sanctioned at that time. In 2021, the bowling group - Starc, Lyon, Cummins and Hazlewood - stated that they weren't aware that sandpaper was being taken out to the field.
