'Mate, well done': Australia captain Mitch Marsh responds to Usman Khawaja's ball-tampering claims

Australia captain Mitch Marsh chose not to discuss the Sandpapergate scandal on Thursday, saying his focus was on leading the team in the upcoming white-ball series against England rather than revisiting events in Cape Town eight years ago.Marsh faced the media in Perth, five days after former Australia teammate Usman Khawaja brought the ball-tampering controversy back into the spotlight. In his autobiography, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian squad knew about the plan to use sandpaper to rough up the ball during the 2018 Test against South Africa.The incident led to lengthy bans for three Australian players and had a major impact on cricket in the country. In the eight years since, Cricket Australia, the team management and several players have rarely spoken about the controversy. Members of Australia's bowling group have rejected claims that the entire team knew about the plan to use sandpaper to help the ball swing through the air.When asked about the scandal at the start of his scheduled press conference, Marsh responded: “You hit a six off the first ball there, Mate, well done!” He then added: “Look, obviously there's been a bit of noise around this week and I respect that certain people have told their stories."“I'm not here to share mine today, I know that might sound weird, but it's a big week for us and it's an important time for this one-day (squad) and my sole focus has been on preparing for tomorrow.”The controversy has dominated cricket coverage this week and is expected to remain a talking point as the Australian summer gets underway.Australia and England begin their white-ball series in Perth on Friday, with three ODIs and five T20Is scheduled between the teams. Meanwhile, Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is set to address the controversy at a press conference in Sydney, hours before the opening match.Cummins said he had taken time to understand Khawaja's claims before responding. “Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week,” Cummins posted on X. “I've taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy's allegations so I can respond properly.”What happened in the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal?Steve Smith and David Warner, who were Australia's captain and vice-captain at the time, were each handed 12-month bans by Cricket Australia following an investigation into the ball-tampering incident. Cameron Bancroft, who was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the Test match, received a nine-month ban.Smith and Warner returned to the Australian team in 2019. Smith continues to play Test cricket for the country and is preparing for a four-match series against New Zealand starting next month.