'I was left with a blank wall': Sandpapergate reviewer says 'nobody chose to change statement'
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New Delhi, Nov 14 : Dr Simon Longstaff, the ethics expert who Cricket Australia commissioned to review the team culture of the men's team in 2018, has stated that his offer to allow players to say their truth about the Sandpapergate scandal was met with deaf ears as he was "left with a blank wall".
The ball-tampering episode has been reignited since Usman Khawaja's book, Sabr, made explosive claims that the whole Australian team knew about the scandal at the Cape Town Test in 2018 and that the Aussies also used sandpaper during the previous Test match.
Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has denied the allegations, calling them "complete and utter nonsense", although David Warner continues to back Khawaja and hits out at the CA.
Now, speaking to Nine's Weekend Today on Saturday, Longstaff, who reviewed the team culture in the aftermath of the Sandpapergate and labelled the CA as "arrogant", has said he offered the players a chance to tell their truths, but no one changed their statements.
He said that he heard "whispers" almost immediately that more people had known than the three who were sanctioned and that the ball-tampering predated Cape Town. "We’re talking effectively about … good people who made bad decisions, so that’s where we looked," he said, as quoted by Nine.com.au.
"Along the way, there were whispers, and I can't put it any more strongly than that, that something else had gone on earlier and that more people had known.
"When we came to look into that – because I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it once the suggestion was made – I afforded the senior people I spoke with an opportunity … ‘Well, is there something else you want to say about the whole circumstance?’
"Nobody chose to make any alteration to their statement, so I was left with basically a blank wall. Some people saying one thing, others another, but not sufficient to be able to say there needs to be a further inquiry at that time," he added.
Khawaja wrote in his book that he was "waiting for (his) phone to ring" because he wanted to be part of CA's investigation, but he was never interviewed. “I thoroughly feel that I didn’t get interviewed because of that, because they knew that I wanted to take it as a team, because they knew I was ready to tell the truth if I was interviewed," Khawaja wrote.
"And I was waiting for my phone to ring. It just never rang, and then the penalties were given, and I couldn’t believe it."
Longstaff said that several were invited to participate in the investigation, while others denied it, and he could not remember whether Khawaja was invited.
"I can't remember exactly who it was that was given the opportunity to contribute to our review, which went much further than just the players involved," he said, as quoted in the report.
"It looked at the whole of Cricket Australia, sponsors, supporters … past Test players to see what the comparison could be. Not everybody we invited to participate in our review chose to accept that invitation. They had the liberty not to.
"Anything they were to say was under strict conditions of confidentiality, which of course, we're bound to respect even to today."
Longstaff also spoke on Cummins' stand against Khawaja, labelling his press conference as "absolutely convincing in his sincerity".
"That stands against Usman Khawaja's claim that everybody knew, so there's a clear contradiction there," he said.
"If Cummins did not know, and I believe he didn't, then not everybody knew. But that leaves a different question.
"Was it that many other people did know, if not Cummins? And is Khawaja being sincere in his belief … that if not everybody, there was a considerably larger number (that knew). Now we just don’t know.
"There’s been consistent denials from the bowling team as a whole, and that stands in contrast now to what Usman Khawaja and David Warner are both asserting.
"To that end, I think, although it’s so messy, there has to be some explanation which could be found. I’ve spent a career looking into questions like this, and inevitably, when you find this kind of conflict of opinion, there is a reason behind it.
"It’s just a question of whether or not Cricket Australia wants to determine what that is," he added.
The ball-tampering episode has been reignited since Usman Khawaja's book, Sabr, made explosive claims that the whole Australian team knew about the scandal at the Cape Town Test in 2018 and that the Aussies also used sandpaper during the previous Test match.
Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has denied the allegations, calling them "complete and utter nonsense", although David Warner continues to back Khawaja and hits out at the CA.
Now, speaking to Nine's Weekend Today on Saturday, Longstaff, who reviewed the team culture in the aftermath of the Sandpapergate and labelled the CA as "arrogant", has said he offered the players a chance to tell their truths, but no one changed their statements.
He said that he heard "whispers" almost immediately that more people had known than the three who were sanctioned and that the ball-tampering predated Cape Town. "We’re talking effectively about … good people who made bad decisions, so that’s where we looked," he said, as quoted by Nine.com.au.
"Along the way, there were whispers, and I can't put it any more strongly than that, that something else had gone on earlier and that more people had known.
"When we came to look into that – because I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it once the suggestion was made – I afforded the senior people I spoke with an opportunity … ‘Well, is there something else you want to say about the whole circumstance?’
"Nobody chose to make any alteration to their statement, so I was left with basically a blank wall. Some people saying one thing, others another, but not sufficient to be able to say there needs to be a further inquiry at that time," he added.
Khawaja wrote in his book that he was "waiting for (his) phone to ring" because he wanted to be part of CA's investigation, but he was never interviewed. “I thoroughly feel that I didn’t get interviewed because of that, because they knew that I wanted to take it as a team, because they knew I was ready to tell the truth if I was interviewed," Khawaja wrote.
"And I was waiting for my phone to ring. It just never rang, and then the penalties were given, and I couldn’t believe it."
Longstaff said that several were invited to participate in the investigation, while others denied it, and he could not remember whether Khawaja was invited.
"I can't remember exactly who it was that was given the opportunity to contribute to our review, which went much further than just the players involved," he said, as quoted in the report.
"It looked at the whole of Cricket Australia, sponsors, supporters … past Test players to see what the comparison could be. Not everybody we invited to participate in our review chose to accept that invitation. They had the liberty not to.
"Anything they were to say was under strict conditions of confidentiality, which of course, we're bound to respect even to today."
Longstaff also spoke on Cummins' stand against Khawaja, labelling his press conference as "absolutely convincing in his sincerity".
"That stands against Usman Khawaja's claim that everybody knew, so there's a clear contradiction there," he said.
"If Cummins did not know, and I believe he didn't, then not everybody knew. But that leaves a different question.
"Was it that many other people did know, if not Cummins? And is Khawaja being sincere in his belief … that if not everybody, there was a considerably larger number (that knew). Now we just don’t know.
"There’s been consistent denials from the bowling team as a whole, and that stands in contrast now to what Usman Khawaja and David Warner are both asserting.
"To that end, I think, although it’s so messy, there has to be some explanation which could be found. I’ve spent a career looking into questions like this, and inevitably, when you find this kind of conflict of opinion, there is a reason behind it.
"It’s just a question of whether or not Cricket Australia wants to determine what that is," he added.
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Note: The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the ap7am team.