Sandpapergate Row: David Warner Calls Out Pat Cummins for Throwing Usman Khawaja 'Under the Bus' (WATCH)

David Warner backed Usman Khawaja's claims about the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, criticising Pat Cummins for dismissing them. Warner said Cummins threw Khawaja 'under the bus' and highlighted the heavy price paid by the banned players.

Former Australian captain and flamboyant batter David Warner continued to throw his weight behind Usman Khawaja’s latest allegations regarding the 2018 Sandpapergate Scandal following Pat Cummins’ recent public dismissal of the claims.

On Friday, November 13, Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins held a press conference at Cricket Central in Sydney, where he dismissed Usman Khawaja’s claims of widespread knowledge within the Australian camp about the ball-tampering plot during the 2018 Cape Town Test, calling his former national teammate and opener’s allegations ‘complete and utter nonsense.’

Cummins maintained that he had neither known about the use of sandpaper nor witnessed any ball tampering, adding that there was no wider team conspiracy behind the incident, despite Khawaja’s latest assertions that the broader leadership group and senior players were aware of what was unfolding in the dressing room.

‘Captain Threw Uzzie Under the Bus’

Following Pat Cummins’ press conference regarding the renewed Sandpapergate controversy, David Warner stepped forward to criticise Australia’s Test and ODI captain's handling of the situation while continuing to back the fresh allegations by his former opening partner, Usman Khawaja.

“Pat Cummins was very well prepared this morning. I still stick by Uzzie and what he's written in that book. It is the truth and I really, really support him. I actually feel for him at the moment.” Warner told Fox Sports ahead of Australia’s opening ODI match against England in Perth.

“I actually feel that the captain today actually threw Uzzie under the bus. And I'm very, very disappointed about that,” he added.

David Warner has turned the blowtorch on Pat Cummins following Friday’s remarkable 70-minute press conference - saying his former captain threw Usman Khawaja ‘under the bus’.

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— CODE Cricket (@codecricketau) November 13, 2026

Earlier, David Warner had backed Usman Khawaja’s explosive claims in his newly released autobiography, Sabr, describing his former teammate’s account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal as ‘100 per cent accurate’.

The former Australian captain criticised Cricket Australia’s investigation into the incident, calling the interview process ‘rushed and botched’ and questioning why Khawaja, who was sitting next to Cameron Bancroft in the dressing room, was never interviewed.

‘We Paid a Big Price’

Speaking on the consequences of the 2018 Newlands Test scandal, Warner reminded critics that he, alongside then-skipper Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, bore the brunt of the fallout after being slapped with lengthy bans from international cricket. He even recalled how his wife and he suffered a miscarriage during that tumultuous period.

“All three of us have paid a big price in this thing. I hadn't spoken about it in eight years, but at the end of the day, we've got to live with these consequences daily. We've been served a life punishment,” Warner said.

“When other people talk about [how] they've been affected by it, there's nothing worse for me, Steve, and Cam, who have to walk out there every day and we cop abuse.

“Yes, we accepted it, but at the end of the day, my wife and I paid the greatest price. We lost a baby during that time. That's why it really hurts me the most until the truth is accepted,” he added.

🗣️ "...friends aren't casual with each other's lives"

Pat Cummins hits back at Usman Khawaja over his ball-tampering comments! https://t.co/GDtW1byNil

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 13, 2026

David Warner and Steve Smith were banned from playing professionally for a year, while Cameron Bancroft received a nine-month suspension from Cricket Australia for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.

Alongside the playing bans, Smith was stripped of the captaincy and barred from leadership roles for two years, while Warner received a lifetime leadership ban, which Cricket Australia later lifted in October 2024 following an internal review.