Starc Reaffirms 2021 Statement on Sandpaper Controversy Amid New Allegations

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc said he continues to stand by the 2021 statement made by the country's bowlers that they were unaware of any foreign substance being used on the ball during the 2018 tour of South Africa. The comment comes after former teammate Usman Khawaja alleged that all members of the squad knew about the sandpaper plot, a claim supported by former captain David Warner as “100 percent accurate.”

Starc told reporters on Tuesday that he had not followed the media coverage of Khawaja’s claims closely and that his recollection of events has not changed since the 2021 interview, when the bowlers said they only learned of the tampering after seeing footage on a big screen at Newlands.

He added that he has not read Khawaja’s forthcoming book and is unlikely to do so, leaving further explanations to the author. "We weren’t aware it was taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town," Starc said.

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg previously stated there is no compelling reason to reopen the investigation unless new evidence emerges. Warner, meanwhile, criticized the handling of the original inquiry, calling it “rushed and botched” and urging accountability from those responsible for the investigation.

Starc also denied any knowledge that teammate Cameron Bancroft or other players used sandpaper during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, saying the Newlands footage was the first time he became aware of such allegations. When asked whether he would speak to Khawaja again, Starc replied that it was up to the former opener.