Cricket: David Boon backs Pat Cummins amid allegations
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business Day (South Africa)
Cricket Australia chair David Boon says Pat Cummins retains his confidence as captain of Australia’s Test team despite allegations linked to the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Cummins is due to publicly respond to allegations made by Usman Khawaja, according to statements reported by The Australian.
Cricket Australia chair David Boon said Australia’s Test captain, Pat Cummins, retained the governing body’s confidence despite allegations made by Usman Khawaja over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Boon said Cummins had led the team with integrity and success, according to Business Day.
Cummins has not yet responded to Khawaja’s allegations, but said on X that he would speak to the media on Friday after taking time to consider all the grievances. Khawaja claims in his autobiography Sabr, published this week, that Australia tampered with the ball from the second Test in South Africa, rather than only during the third Test in Cape Town, according to Business Day.
Khawaja’s former team-mate David Warner backed his allegations. Former Australian bowler Chadd Sayers also said they were accurate in comments to Australian media. Former Australian batting coach Graeme Hick, by contrast, called them false, while Cricket Australia’s chief executive, Todd Greenberg, said on Tuesday that there was no compelling reason to reopen the case.
Mitchell Marsh, captain of Australia’s short-format cricket team and a member of the 2018 Test team, was also due to speak at a press conference in Perth before a one-day international against England, according to Business Day.
