Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has slammed former teammate Usman Khawaja, expressing his disappointment over Khawaja’s comments about the infamous ball-tampering scandal, calling the allegations deeply upsetting and questioning the way they were laid out. Cummins outrightly brushed aside bombshell claims from Khawaja, who had recently claimed that the entire team had the knowledge about the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball.

“When he says, ‘We all knew’, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he’s 100 per cent wrong,” Cummins said at the press conference.

Cummins was blunt in his assessment, hitting out at Khawaja’s lacklustre approach to discussing such a sensitive chapter in Australian cricket.

“I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. I think Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that. He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense."

“That’s my story. I think he’s wrong. To bring it up so flippantly and casually, I think is irresponsible.”

Cummins emphasised that Khawaja remained his friend. However, he admitted that the allegations had caught him completely off guard and left him feeling betrayed.

“Usman’s a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations. In his book, Uzzie has been casual with my life and the lives of many others, and I think Australian cricket. I support his right to tell a story 100 per cent. I’m really glad that he feels like he can, but we have to be accountable for the things that we say and do.”

“He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense,” Cummins said.

Cummin, who was relatively inexperienced at the time, with only 13 Test appearances to his name, was left stunned by Khawaja’s allegation that he had told Bancroft to handle the sandpaper discreetly.

“I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out that Usman admitted that he told Cam to be careful when using sandpaper. That’s not the Usman that I know. That’s not the Usman that I know. It’s not the Usman that I think that has been part of a team that’s helped rebuild the Australian cricket culture over the last eight years."