Responding to former batter Usman Khawaja’s allegations ahead of his autobiography release—which claimed that the entire Australian team and support staff knew about the 2018 ball-tampering in South Africa and that sandpaper was also used during the Gqeberha Test—pace spearhead Mitchell Starc told reporters at an event that he has paid little attention to the controversy and stands by the position established in the bowlers’ 2021 joint statement, emphasizing that his recollection has not shifted since they were thoroughly questioned during the process, expressing total ignorance regarding any tampering incident in Port Elizabeth, and reiterating that as far as he and his fellow fast bowlers are concerned, they were completely unaware of foreign objects being taken onto the field, which leaves Khawaja’s arguments about sharing the collective burden of the scandal separate from the consistent denials offered by the bowling unit.
