‘Stinks of a cover-up’: Warner questions Cricket Australia’s Sandpapergate probe

Former Australia opener David Warner has accused Cricket Australia of a “tainted” probe into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying the investigation “stinks of a cover-up” and questioning why three senior bowlers were not interviewed.

Warner identified Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in an Instagram post on Saturday, adding he did not recall any of the three being interviewed during the initial probe.

“As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation. If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn’t know?” Warner wrote.

He accused the governing body of deciding who to blame before conducting what he described as a “shoddy investigation” to maintain a particular version of events.

The new allegations come after former teammate Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, reignited discussions about the extent to which knowledge of the sandpaper scandal was shared among the Australian team.

Cricket Australia said all players were given a chance to speak at the initial hearing and could give fresh evidence at a later date. The governing body has refused to reopen the investigation, AFP reported.

Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were suspended following the scandal during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018.