Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has stood by his version of events surrounding the infamous 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, following fresh allegations from former teammate Usman Khawaja. In his recently released autobiography, Sabr, Khawaja claimed that knowledge of the ball-tampering plan extended throughout the Australian dressing room rather than being restricted to a handful of players. The revelations have reignited one of the biggest controversies in Australian cricket history.

Former opener David Warner also publicly supported Khawaja’s account on Monday, bringing the Cape Town scandal back into the spotlight just days before Australia begins another home Test season. Starc became the first member of Australia’s current Test squad to address the controversy publicly during an event in Sydney on Tuesday. The left-arm pacer maintained that his recollection of the incident remains unchanged from the joint statement released by him, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon in 2021.

“I thought we were here for the summer of cricket,” Mitchell Starc said when questioned about the renewed controversy. Although acknowledging that different accounts of the incident have emerged over the years, the Australian speedster insisted that his position remains consistent. “We were heavily drilled through the process at the time since. Now, 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,” he added.

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Khawaja’s claims directly contradict the account maintained by Australia’s four frontline bowlers. When specifically asked whether the entire team knew about the ball-tampering plan, Starc refused to comment on his former teammate’s allegations and reiterated the position stated previously. “As far as our statement said, we weren’t aware of it being taken on the field. That’s where I’ll leave it,” Starc explained.

The Australian pacer also denied knowing that sandpaper had been used during the second Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. According to Starc, he first became aware of the incident when footage of Cameron Bancroft concealing sandpaper in his trousers appeared on the giant screen during the third Test in Cape Town. “We weren’t aware it was taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town. As far as the book’s concerned, I haven’t read it and probably won’t read it, so that’s for Usman to elaborate on,” he said.

In their 2021 joint statement, Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon had firmly denied having prior knowledge of the plan. They maintained that they only discovered what had happened after the footage emerged at Newlands. The bowlers also pointed out that the umpires inspected the ball but did not find sufficient visible damage to replace it.

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Meanwhile, the latest revelations appear to have affected relationships within Australia’s 2018 squad. Mitchell Starc disclosed that he had not spoken to Khawaja over the previous couple of days. When asked whether he intended to contact his former teammate, he offered a brief response. “It’s up to him,” Starc said.

The pacer also expressed disappointment over the renewed attention surrounding the scandal and highlighted that former head coach Darren Lehmann’s role in the controversy should not be overlooked. With Australia preparing for their upcoming international commitments, Khawaja’s autobiography has once again exposed the differing accounts surrounding the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. Despite the renewed debate, Starc has made it clear that he has no intention of changing his version of events.