Mitchell Starc opposes calls to reopen 2018 ball-tampering investigation

Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc has stated there is no justification for reinvestigating the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Starc was part of the bowling unit during the controversial Test match alongside Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

In 2021, the four bowlers released a joint statement asserting they were unaware that a foreign object had been brought onto the field. Addressing the matter at a season launch in Sydney, Starc confirmed his stance remains unchanged despite recent claims made by Usman Khawaja in his new book.

Starc noted that he had not followed the media coverage regarding Khawaja’s allegations, which include claims that sandpaper was also used during the second Test in Port Elizabeth. "We weren't aware it [sandpaper] was taken on the field to be tampered with. We saw it on the big screen in Cape Town," Starc said, adding that the Port Elizabeth claim was the "first I was aware of any of that taking place in PE."

While David Warner, who received a one-year ban following the incident, has described Khawaja’s recollections as "100% accurate," Starc expressed frustration that the topic has resurfaced. He emphasised that the current squad has evolved significantly since 2018 and that he prefers to focus on the upcoming summer season.

Former official Greenberg suggested that achieving a universal consensus on the events of that series is unlikely. "You end up at the same intersection where one person's version of events contradict the others, and I'm not sure what outcome people are searching for," Greenberg stated.