Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon issue joint statement; deny being aware about ball-tampering plot

Cameron Bancroft recently alleged Australian bowlers knew that the ball was being tampered with.

Australian bowling quarter of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon on Tuesday (May 18) issued a joint statement, clarifying that they had no knowledge of a foreign substance being used to alter the condition of the ball in the infamous 2018 Cape Town Test.

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Australian cricket was shaken to the core after cameras had caught Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper to change the state of the ball at Newlands. As a result, then captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner were slapped 12-month bans while Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension under Cricket Australia's Code of Conduct.

The matter resurfaced again after Bancroft last week alleged that the Australian bowlers were also aware of the illegal plot.

“To The Australian Public, We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018,” the statement read.

“We have already answered questions many times on this issue, but we feel compelled to put the key facts on the record again:

a) We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands

b) And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.”

The quartet insisted that their innocence doesn’t excuse what happened on the South Africa tour three years ago, but cited that it is time to move on from the incident.

"None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened. We’ve all learned valuable lessons and we’d like to think the public can see a change for the better in terms of the way we play, the way we behave and respect the game. Our commitment to improving as people and players will continue. We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo. It has gone on too long and it is time to move on.”