Whateley: Can both Khawaja and Cummins' versions be true?

SEN Cricket’s Gerard Whateley and Tom Morris have reacted to Pat Cummins’ press conference about the Sandpapergate saga.

Cummins has categorically denied the "utter nonsense" Usman Khawaja alleged in his new memoir. The Australia Test captain answered all the questions on the ball-tampering scandal for 70 minutes.

Whateley and Morris assessed all the comments and provided their reactions, with the former describing it as a “civil war” and akin to Australian cricket's version of the JFK Assassination.

“It is Australian cricket's JFK Assassination. There will always be theories and conspiracy theories, but the formal versions on two sides of it are unwavering,” Whateley said on SEN.

“Today Cummins stepped forward as the current day captain to answer the questions about the sandpaper scandal in a defining moment of his leadership.

“Not for the first time, Cricket Australia must be asking itself, ‘How did we get here?’.

“He is incredibly well equipped for a moment like this Pat Cummins. He is a statesman, he speaks incredibly well, he was forthright from the very outset, ‘100% wrong and complete and utter nonsense’.”

Morris: “He says that he never knew anything about sandpaper being taken onto the field, which of course is at odds with Usman Khawaja’s version of events.

“Although Pat Cummins has spoken and said that he would like to draw a line underneath it, and he hopes this is the end, I don't think it is the end now because he's used some words towards us with Khawaja which are diametrically opposed to what his version of events are."

Whateley: “So he's accused Khawaja of being flippant and casual, and listening to him as he goes along he's articulated that to say we all knew or what did we all know.

“Friends aren't casual with friends lives and reputations’. He was he's quite emotional at various stages.”

Morris: “It just seems to me that this friendship is being heavily tested right now by using words such as irresponsible, casual, flippant, and people's lives.

“It magnifies the importance of what we've heard this morning. And the truth, as always, or the truth right now is something that we still can't get our hands on.”

Whateley: “It will be elusive, won't it, coming up with a definitive version of events, because the two views are so diametrically opposed, and the open question is, can both versions be true?”

Morris: “Yeah, I thought today there might be a chance that we'd get some sort of resolution that Cummins’ truth might somehow dovetail into come into Usman Khawaja's truth and he might concede that there was sandpaper on the field in the previous Test match and the statement only referenced the Cape Town Test.

“That won't be happening now. So forever there will be diametrically opposed views between at least two parties in that change room. And I'm speaking right now on the phone on text message to other people in this change room from South Africa 2018 and they are surprised as to what Cummins is saying.

“They're surprised because in their view everyone knew that there was alternative methods being used in that series.”

Whateley: “He's a 24-year-old in Tests number 12 and 13 in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. He is the junior member of the attack and he makes the point that he wouldn't have known everything that was going on.

“But the bowlers as a collective, he says they were completely honest with the investigation at the time and the story hasn't deviated across the eight and a half years that have spanned since.”

Morris: “It’s the most vulnerable I’ve seen Pat Cummins maybe ever.

“He allowed himself to come to the mercy of the public and now the public can make the call, whether they believe Khawaja or Cummins.

“Where it goes from here, I’m not sure, but there’s still a lot of chapters to write in the Sandpapergate saga.”

Whateley: “It is a civil war, isn’t it.

“That depiction of cricket’s civil war is truer now than it was in prospect.”

Morris: “Two really reasonable people in Khawaja and Cummins have opposing views that seemingly can’t marry up together.”

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