Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja abruptly cancelled scheduled media interviews on Wednesday after being asked a question referencing the 2018 Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal and teammate Pat Cummins.
According to reports, Khawaja responded "Not going to answer that" when pressed on the matter before walking away from the media session. The incident reignites scrutiny over the lingering fallout from the Cape Town controversy that led to lengthy bans for Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.
Cummins, who was part of the Australian squad at the time but not directly sanctioned, has since become Test captain. Khawaja, a senior batter in the current side, has previously spoken about the cultural reset within Australian cricket following the scandal.
No official statement has been released by Cricket Australia regarding the cancelled interviews. The episode occurred ahead of Australia's upcoming international fixtures.
