New Delhi, November 12, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
England captain Harry Brook has distanced himself from the renewed Sandpapergate controversy, saying he has never witnessed ball tampering during his international career and declining to comment on Australia’s infamous 2018 scandal.
Brook’s remarks came ahead of the first ODI against Australia at Perth Stadium on Friday. Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja’s recently released autobiography has brought the controversy surrounding the Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018 back into focus.
Asked about the incident, Brook said he had no first-hand knowledge of it, as he was around 17 or 18 years old when the scandal broke.
“I’ve never seen any ball tampering before. I wasn’t in that (Australia) dressing room. I think I was about 17 or 18 years old, so I was completely oblivious to any of that stuff,” Brook said during the pre-match press conference, as quoted by The Independent.
The England skipper said his focus was on preparing for the upcoming white-ball series rather than revisiting events from eight years ago.
“We’re here in Australia, we’re looking forward to this series, and all we can do is concentrate on ourselves and getting ourselves as ready as possible. We’re just trying to concentrate on ourselves at the minute. That’s all we can do. We’re here to play against a strong Australian side in their backyard,” he added.
In his autobiography, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian team was aware of the use of sandpaper during the Cape Town Test. He also alleged that Australia had used the object on the ball during the preceding Test in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha.
Former Australia opener David Warner, who received a one-year ban and a lifetime leadership ban following the scandal, subsequently backed Khawaja’s revelations. Warner’s leadership restriction was overturned in 2024.
Meanwhile, Brook expressed enthusiasm about starting the series in Perth, recalling the atmosphere at Optus Stadium during the previous Ashes contest.
“Australia against England is always a good series, and we’re looking forward to kickstarting it. We’re very happy to be out here. We’re all really raring to go here at Optus Stadium, which is where the last Ashes started. It’s an amazing place to play cricket. The atmosphere when we played here was unbelievable,” he said.
FOLLOW NOW
