Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick has flatly denied any knowledge of the sandpaper plot during the 2018 South Africa tour, directly contradicting Usman Khawaja's claim that every member of the touring party was aware of the scheme. Hick, who served as Australia's batting coach from 2016 to 2020, said his first knowledge of the ball tampering came only when footage of Cameron Bancroft concealing sandpaper appeared on the big screen at Newlands in Cape Town.

The denial emerged on the same day Khawaja withdrew from scheduled television and radio appearances to promote his new memoir, following a pointed on-air interview in which he struggled to answer detailed questions about the scandal. Test captain Pat Cummins is expected to address the matter publicly for the first time on Friday, though that appearance had not been confirmed by Cricket Australia as of Thursday.

Hick: 'Absolutely False'

Speaking publicly for the first time since Khawaja's claims reignited the Sandpapergate controversy, Hick said he was deeply troubled by what the former opener had alleged about coaching staff involvement.

"I have seen the various statements around the coaches and I'm very disappointed with the broad nature of them," Hick said. "Khawaja puts it simply: 'It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.' To me what Khawaja is implying here is absolutely false."

Hick was emphatic that he had no prior knowledge of any ball-tampering plan in either Cape Town or Port Elizabeth, the two matches at the centre of Khawaja's allegations. "I will say in true honesty that I did not hear or know anything," he said. "My first knowledge of all this was, like many, when it appeared on the big screen in Cape Town as I was sat on the outside balcony at the time."

Khawaja has argued publicly that Steve Smith, David Warner and Bancroft, who all received lengthy bans from Cricket Australia, should not have borne the burden of blame alone. He has also alleged that a member of the coaching staff encouraged Bancroft to use sandpaper during a break in play at the Cape Town Test. Head coach at the time Darren Lehmann has also denied knowing that sandpaper was being used.

Warner Hits Back, Marsh Faces Scrutiny

Warner used social media to publicly back criticism of Lehmann, agreeing with a former International Cricket Council match referee who questioned how the head coach could have been unaware of what was happening on the field. The view expressed was that Lehmann, as head coach, surely would have known about the plan.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh, Australia's stand-in ODI captain, was due to front media on Thursday ahead of the first one-day international against England. Marsh, a close friend of Cummins and a former state teammate of Bancroft, was reportedly nervous about how to handle questions on the topic. It is understood he was in the team's attack at the moment South African broadcasters aired the footage of Bancroft hiding the sandpaper.

Victoria captain Peter Handscomb, who was on a walkie-talkie to Lehmann in Cape Town when the footage emerged, declined to comment after scoring an unbeaten 131 against Western Australia. "I appreciate you have to ask these questions," Handscomb said. "I've had a nice day today, it's not really something that I want to comment on right now."

What Comes Next

The controversy shows little sign of easing, with Cummins' expected public comments on Friday shaping as a key moment for Cricket Australia's leadership. The question of who knew what during the 2018 South Africa tour continues to divide former players and staff, with Khawaja's memoir triggering a widening series of denials and counter-claims that reach into the heart of Australia's cricketing establishment.