{
  "id": 19726599,
  "title": "'100 per cent wrong, utter nonsense': Pat Cummins hits out at Usman Khawaja over Sandpapergate allegations",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/100-per-cent-wrong-utter-nonsense-pat-cummins-hits-out-at-usman",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-12T23:32:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/100-per-cent-wrong-utter-233243956.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cricketing captain Pat Cummins has firmly refuted claims made by former Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who accused the entire squad of being aware of the use of sandpaper on the ball during the controversial 2018 South Africa tour. The dispute, dubbed \"Sandpapergate,\" erupted when Khawaja revealed in his recent autobiography, \"Sabr,\" that not just the three players previously implicated - Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft - but the entire Australian team knew about the plan. This included the bowlers, according to Khawaja. However, Cummins has stood by the official statement from 2021, which held only Smith, Warner, and Bancroft responsible for their roles in the alleged plot to scuff the surface. This response comes as the controversy resurfaces, with Khawaja's claims reigniting discussions about the incident and its implications.",
  "summary": "Pat Cummins finally responded to Usman Khawaja's allegations regarding Sandpapergate from eight years ago.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian",
        "title": "Pat Cummins press conference live updates: Australian cricket captain speaks about Usman Khawaja’s ‘sandpapergate’ claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/pat-cummins-press-conference-live-updates-australian-cricket-captain",
        "published": "2026-11-12T22:49:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}