Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has stated there is "no compelling reason" to reopen the investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal that rocked the sport. His comments come amid fresh claims from former Test batter Usman Khawaja, who alleged in his autobiography that the entire team was aware of the use of sandpaper to alter the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Greenberg Stands by Investigation Outcome
Greenberg, who took over as CEO in March 2025, said he had not yet read Khawaja's book but holds "huge respect" for the former player sharing his perspective. "There are specific details in his book that contradict the versions that have been provided by others," Greenberg told Australian outlet Sports Entertainment Network. "I want to be really careful to consider what Usman's actually said, and not respond to the headlines or the subsequent commentary that gets created. It's important to attribute his words and not the headlines."
He emphasized that players were urged to come forward at the time and have had opportunities over the past eight years to do so. "We have said we're comfortable with the outcome of the investigation based on the information we've received. That includes what we've seen from Usman, and our position hasn't changed on that," Greenberg added. "We don't see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again. I don't think there's anything that can be gained from that."
Starc Disappointed by Khawaja's Claims
Fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who was part of the bowling attack in the contentious 2018 Test alongside Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, expressed disappointment at Khawaja's assertions. In 2021, the quartet issued a joint statement insisting they "did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field."
Speaking at a season launch event in Sydney, Starc said he hadn't "really paid much attention" to the media coverage of Khawaja's claims. "Obviously, there's differing opinions of eight years ago. We were heavily grilled through the process at the time, since," Starc said. "I guess I won't speak on behalf of the bowlers - but, where I stand, my opinion hasn't changed, my recollection hasn't changed from what we said in 2021. We weren't aware it [sandpaper] was taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town."
Starc added that he hasn't read the book and probably won't, leaving it to Khawaja to elaborate. "It's definitely disappointing that's what we're talking about heading into a really exciting [Australian] summer," he said. "Different people felt different ways about it at the time, throughout and certainly through the last eight years. I think Trav [Head] said it the other day, that the group has changed a lot. We certainly look forward to what's coming up. We're not in 2018 anymore, are we, so the group at the moment's great."
Warner Backs Khawaja's Account
David Warner, who was banned for a year following the incident, has backed Khawaja's recollections, stating on Monday that they were "100% accurate." Khawaja also claimed in his book that sandpaper was used during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, a claim Starc said was the "first I was aware of any of that taking place in PE."
Greenberg acknowledged that a lack of consensus is inevitable given the conflicting accounts. "You end up at the same intersection where one person's version of events contradict the others, and I'm not sure what outcome people are searching for," he said. "I think what people want is a single outcome that everyone is aligned up on, but I don't think that's possible on this occasion because we have such conflicting views from the same moment in time."
The 2018 scandal led to bans for captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and batter Cameron Bancroft, but Cricket Australia's investigation found the bowling attack was unaware of the tampering. As the debate continues, Greenberg's stance suggests the governing body has no plans to revisit one of the most controversial chapters in Australian cricket history.
