Pat Cummins says he is not worried about Usman Khawaja's forthcoming book, "Sabr", due on 10 November, as Australia prepare for their first Test tour of South Africa since 2018.
Pat Cummins says he is not concerned about what Usman Khawaja's autobiography might say about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. ESPNcricinfo reported (byline Matt Roller, with additional reporting by Andrew McGlashan) that Cummins confirmed Khawaja had told him about the book, and that the Australia captain is keeping his focus on the series, which starts in Durban on Friday.
| At a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| Book | "Sabr" by Usman Khawaja, released on 10 November 2026 |
| Timing | Shortly after Australia's three-match Test series in South Africa ends |
| Writing | No ghost-writer; publisher Penguin Random House has not made advance copies available |
| First Test | Durban, starting Friday |
| Together | Cummins and Khawaja played 56 Tests together, 36 with Cummins as captain |
What Cummins said
Code Sports reported that Khawaja had briefed Cummins on the book's contents, which remain a closely guarded secret. Cummins confirmed the conversation in Durban: "Uz gave me a buzz a few weeks back" to say he was releasing a book, and Cummins's reply was, in his words, "No worries, you can tell your story. That's fine."
On Sandpapergate itself, Cummins said he has "answered every question a million times" and that the team has "moved on". He added: "my focus is on captaining the cricket team."
Code Sports also reported, and other outlets have repeated, that Khawaja gave advance notice to Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg. Cricinfo did not confirm that directly. What the book says about 2018 is unknown, and any talk of revelations at this stage is speculation.
The Cape Town backdrop
Both men played in the 2018 Cape Town Test, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera applying sandpaper to the ball. Steven Smith and David Warner resigned as captain and vice-captain, and all three served lengthy bans from Cricket Australia.
Australia's bowlers in that Test, Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, have consistently denied prior knowledge. In 2021 they issued a joint statement calling for an end to "rumour-mongering and innuendo" after Bancroft said it was "self-explanatory" that they had known more.
First tour since 2018
This is Australia's first Test tour of South Africa since the scandal, although two limited-overs tours have happened in between. Broadcaster SuperSport promoted the series by re-posting footage of the 2018 incident, captioned: "Our cameras will be sharp for this 3-match Test series."
Greenberg has travelled with the squad and said relations between the teams have improved. Both sides are staying in the same hotel and "having breakfast together".
Read the full story on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
Drafts are where leagues are won. BuildXI is a fan game, not affiliated with the IPL or BCCI, where you run your own draft from IPL history: spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, pick one player from each and play fourteen league matches. The target is 14-0.