Former Australia bowler Chadd Sayers says he helped take sandpaper off the ground in the match before the infamous Cape Town Test, and has backed Usman Khawaja's recollection over that of Pat Cummins, saying he believes "everyone knew" about the plan to tamper with the ball. Sayers, 39, was 12th man during the second Test of the 2018 series against South Africa in Gqeberha, previously known as Port Elizabeth, and backed Khawaja's claim in his book that sandpaper was also used there. "It was given to me to take off," Sayers said on SEN Radio. "That wasn't planned or anything. It was a wicket or drinks break after tea."

Sayers also described a "60 to 90-minute" meeting in the Australia dressing room after Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper in Cape Town, in which players discussed taking collective responsibility. Khawaja says such a discussion took place, but Cummins said in his extraordinary news conference on Friday that he did not remember it. "I am comfortable sitting here that I believe everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used," said Sayers, whose one Test was the final match of that series. "It was used in two Test matches and there were discussions in the changing rooms. I'm not taking sides, it's just my recollection of what took place."S1S2

The episode has dominated headlines in Australia and elsewhere. Khawaja said the entire Australia team knew about the plan to use sandpaper and should have taken responsibility, while Cummins, a bowler in that squad and now Australia captain, emphatically rejected the claims as "100% wrong" and "utter nonsense". Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have consistently said they did not know. On Saturday David Warner accused Cricket Australia of a "cover-up", suggesting Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon had not been interviewed as part of the governing body's investigation. Warner, Bancroft and then captain Steve Smith served lengthy bans for their role in the scandal.S1S2