Mitchell Marsh was part of the Australia XI in that infamous Cape Town Test in 2018.
Marsh was part of the Australia XI in the infamous third Test but declined to share any recollections of the incident, despite repeated attempts by reporters.
The scandal has been back in the news after the revelations made by former Australian batsman Usman Khawaja in his autobiography, titled “Sabr.”
According to Khawaja, the information related to the plan to tamper with the state of the ball using sandpaper was known to the entire team, including Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, who were punished for this act.
When asked whether he knew about the sandpaper affair in the 2018 Test match, Marsh did not confirm or deny his knowledge and stated that his main focus was the upcoming assignment of Australia.
"There's obviously been a lot of noise around this week. I respect that certain people have chosen to tell their stories, but I'm not here to share mine today," Marsh said in a video shared by Fox Cricket.
He explained further that his primary concern was taking Australia through what he termed an important era for the one-day team in particular, especially considering the fact that the next World Cup is around the corner.
In turn, the journalists did not lose hope that Marsh would finally give Australian fans his take on the matter, even after eight long years from its discovery. Nevertheless, the Australian skipper insisted that his concern lay solely with the coming series against England.
"I'm walking out tomorrow to captain my country in a really exciting series against England in a World Cup year. My focus has been on that this week," he said.
When asked directly whether he knew that sandpaper was being used to tamper with the ball during the Cape Town Test, Marsh again avoided answering.
"As I said, I'm not here to revisit my recollections of South Africa," he responded.
The questions became even more probing when Marsh was confronted with Khawaja's allegation that other players apart from the three who were penalized were aware of the plan. Marsh would not comment on the accusations or dispute Khawaja's claims.
"I really respect the fact that he's told his story and written his book. My focus is really on tomorrow," he said.
Asked whether Khawaja was lying, Marsh repeated that he did not want to revisit the events in South Africa. He eventually explained that he had personally moved on from the controversy.
"My honest answer is that I've personally moved on. I respect that others probably haven't, but I have, and I hope that is respected," Marsh added.
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Preparation for the England ODI series is the first thing on Marsh's mind. Nevertheless, his unwillingness to respond to the allegations raised by Khawaja suggests that the issues regarding Australia’s tour to South Africa in 2018 will not go away any time soon.