Former captain Mark Taylor says revisiting 2018 sand-paper scandal distracts from cricket
Mark Taylor expressed disappointment that new claims about the 2018 ball-tampering incident are being raised again, warning it could affect the upcoming season.
Former Australian Test captain Mark Taylor told Weekend Today and Wide World of Sports that he is disappointed by renewed claims from batsman Usman Khawaja about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Taylor said the incident occurred eight years ago and that repeatedly revisiting it offers little value.
"I’m disappointed because it was eight years ago that this (scandal) happened. I’ve sat here on this show and many other shows over the last eight years asking and answering questions about it," Taylor said on WWOS.
He noted that the original investigation focused on the use of sandpaper at Newlands and resulted in the suspension of three players. Taylor highlighted that the bowling group – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – and former coach Darren Lehmann have consistently said they were unaware of the sandpaper.
"The bowlers have come out subsequently in 2018 and 2021 saying they didn’t know about the use of sandpaper, and even Darren Lehmann said yesterday as coach that he didn’t know," Taylor added.
Taylor warned that the renewed attention could become a distraction for captain Pat Cummins and the team ahead of the summer season. He said Cricket Australia had previously said it was "comfortable" with the findings and that a new investigation would be difficult given the short turnaround between matches.
"It would have been great to put it on hold until getting back home for a thorough investigation, but that doesn’t fly in sport; you make decisions on what you know at the time and get on with the game," he said.
Taylor also questioned the logistical evidence cited by Khawaja, noting that two umpires at the time inspected the ball and did not replace it. He concluded that the issue is likely to be revisited repeatedly, potentially affecting the sport’s focus.
"So I think we’re going to go round and round in circles again and still not ever find exactly what happened and who knew what, when, and where," Taylor said.
Khawaja has defended the timing of his memoir, arguing that telling his version of events is important, but Taylor remains skeptical about the impact on cricket’s upcoming schedule.