Seven takeaways from one of Australian sport’s most memorable press conferences

November 13, 2026 — 7:38pmPat Cummins walked into Cricket NSW headquarters in Sydney on Friday morning with Australian cricket in turmoil and his integrity under question.He walked out 69 minutes later having delivered one of the most memorable and absorbing press conferences in Australian sporting history.The Australian Test captain came armed with a pre-prepared statement (via notes typed out on sheets of paper), a few sharp bouncers up his sleeve directed at Usman Khawaja and a determination to defend himself against allegations, aired by Khawaja, stemming from the 2018 “Sandpapergate” scandal.There were moments of humour, flashes of frustration and some honest admissions about the culture of the Australian cricket team eight years ago.But while Cummins may have won-over plenty of people with his performance, the fallout from Khawaja’s explosive new book, Sabr, is far from over.Here are seven takeaways from an absorbing morning.Pat Cummins answered questions from reporters for more than an hour.Sam Mooy1. That was one of Australian sport’s great press conferences Before getting into the detail of what Cummins said, it is worth reflecting on the event itself. This reporter has covered plenty of press conferences over the years, including the tearful appearances of Steve Smith and David Warner after that fateful 2018 tour of South Africa, but this was probably the most extraordinary of the lot.Perhaps it was the anticipation. Cummins had announced the press conference on his own social media accounts on Thursday, rather than leaving it to Cricket Australia media managers to arrange through its usual channels.Close to 100 onlookers – journalists, photographers, camera operators and cricket officials – were crammed into the indoor nets area waiting for the Test captain to appear at 9.30am. Breakfast television cameras were parked outside at first light. However, Cummins was quietly and deliberately ushered into Cricket NSW headquarters through a back entrance, away from the cameras. He had been instructed to wear a Cricket Australia polo shirt and had spent considerable time discussing what he would say with his wife, Becky, and his manager, Neil Maxwell.Afterwards, Cummins went out and bowled some balls alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood before popping into the public cafe to get a sandwich and pose for photographs with fans.Pat Cummins (centre) training with fellow bowlers Mitchell Starc (right) and Josh Hazlewood (left).Sam Mooy2. It was a tremendous display of leadership There was no hiding. No interventions from a media manager, and no attempts to shut down difficult questions. It was as compelling as it gets. From a journalist’s perspective, it yielded almost too much material.This was arguably Cummins’ finest hour, and it was leadership personified – no matter whether you believe his version of events. This is why he is the captain of the Australian men’s cricket team.Cummins leaves after his press conference.Sam MooyCummins is renowned as one of Australia’s greatest fast bowlers, but on Friday he was belting fours and sixes to all corners.It was reminiscent of his memorable 2022 press conference following Justin Langer’s departure as Australian coach amid player unrest, when Cummins declared: “To all past players, I want to say this: just as you have always stuck up for your mates, I’m sticking up for mine.”Cummins had been pressured to respond to Khawaja’s claims since they were first reported in this masthead on Saturday. But he took his time, worked through the allegations methodically and established precisely what he wanted to address. It was worth the wait.Cummins was clear and concise in his recollections. When he couldn’t remember something, he said so. He had even gone to the trouble of contacting former teammates to check their versions of events. But when it came to having no knowledge of a plot to use sandpaper on the ball, he was unequivocal.An accomplished public speaker, Cummins was confident and charismatic under the pressure. But his masterstroke was allowing journalists to ask questions for as long as necessary.Now, nobody can now accuse Cummins of failing to front up. The longer the press conference went, the more the mood in the room – which had been combative at first – appeared to shift in his favour.Cummins spoke for so long that at one point an SBS journalist retrieved their microphone from the collection and left. It was jokingly suggested a “drinks break” should be taken at the hour mark, but Cummins kept his pads on and kept facing up to the next delivery.3. Cummins is very annoyed For all his composure, Cummins was clearly angry that his integrity had been questioned and annoyed that he had been dragged back into a scandal he believed was behind him.One of the more revealing moments came when Cummins disclosed that his wife, Becky, had also been angry with Khawaja. The controversy had even reached the couple’s doorstep, with The Australian publishing footage of the couple in a heated conversation outside their Sydney home after arriving there by chance. The newspaper did not purchase the images.Cummins still found room for humour. At one point, he looked towards the Sheffield Shield match between NSW and South Australia playing out on the adjacent field before him (journalists had their back turned to it) and jokingly called “not out” in response to an lbw appeal. He also made light of suggestions he and Becky had been arguing, joking that he’d put the wrong bin out. But his words about Khawaja were far more cutting. Cummins referred to Khawaja as a friend, before conceding the future of their relationship was now uncertain.4. Australia’s cricket team was out of control in 2018We already knew there was something amiss within the culture of Australian cricket in the years leading up to Sandpapergate, such was the win-at-all-costs mentality and the aggression.But Cummins offered one of his most candid assessments yet of the environment in which the scandal unfolded.Admittedly, injuries meant Cummins missed considerable international cricket in the years before 2018. Nonetheless, his description of the dressing room offered an insight into the circumstances that may have encouraged Bancroft, Smith and Warner to cross the line in South Africa.“I think we had a win-at-all-costs mentality, had an ugly underbelly, and there were too many silos within the team,” Cummins said. “They were traits that I hope that everyone’s seen and I tried very hard to eradicate for the last six years as captain.”5. Sandpaper, superglue and the tricks of the tradeOne of the more fascinating elements was Cummins’ discussion of the methods cricketers have used to alter the condition of a ball.Lost in much of the coverage this week has been the distinction between legally maintaining a cricket ball and illegally changing its condition. Just because someone is “working” on a ball doesn’t mean it is ball-tampering.Cummins explained that Australia had even used sandpaper during training sessions to rough up balls and practise facing reverse swing. But his description of the tricks discussed in cricket dressing rooms was particularly revealing. He opened up on other “dark arts” he’d heard about when it came to illegal alterations to cricket equipment.“I’d heard zippers,” Cummins began. “I’d heard superglue on wicketkeepers’ gloves. I’d heard layers and layers of nail polish. I bite my fingers, so I’d be terrible. Obviously, Murray Mints is one, too. I’d heard … from a long time ago that sandpaper was actually taped in between fingers.“These are all discussions that I’m sure every suburban change-room has. It’s one thing to talk about it but then it’s another thing to go ahead and do it.”6. The actual cricket has become a sideshowImagine telling someone two years ago that NSW prodigy Sam Konstas would blast 173 in a Sheffield Shield match less than a month before Australia’s first Test of the summer – and it would barely rate a mention in the national sports news agenda.Yet that is where Australian cricket finds itself today. Some outstanding performances are being overshadowed. Konstas’ innings is one example. Young fast bowler Mahli Beardman’s six-wicket haul on ODI debut against England is another.Khawaja had said his words no longer affected the Australian team, now that he had retired. Perhaps not in the dressing room, but their impact on the wider game has been enormous, and Cummins alluded to that frustration on Friday.Funnily enough, Cummins copped one cricket-related question. It was about Beardman.So spooked were Cricket NSW about the Khawaja situation that they pulled Konstas from media duties on Thursday after he reached triple figures. However, he came out on Friday after play and laughed about the nearby circus.“It was a bit hectic,” Konstas said. “Obviously there was a lot of media today with Pat. We’ve got a massive job to do [in this game].”Could he get a car park on Friday morning?“I thought they were all coming for me,” Konstas said with a laugh. “They were all here for Pat.”7. Two versions of events – and a scandal that refuses to dieCummins insists Khawaja was wrong, while Khawaja and Warner are disputing the version of events put forward by Cummins and the bowlers.As the Test captain pointed out, international cricket dressing rooms are big places. Conversations can take place between different groups of players, often without everyone knowing what has been said.Tellingly, Cummins said Khawaja had not asked him for his version of events in 2018. Several key figures from the 2018 tour are yet to publicly address Khawaja’s latest allegations in detail.Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Tim Paine are among them. So, too, is Brad Haddin, an assistant coach at the time and now coach of NSW.As long as Warner continues his public campaign to challenge the established account of Sandpapergate, as he did during Fox Cricket’s coverage, the controversy will linger.Khawaja, meanwhile, has endured a bruising week. His awkward appearance on the ABC’s 7.30 program, where veteran journalist Sarah Ferguson pressed him on further details in his book account, was uncomfortable viewing.He is scheduled to appear on popular cricket podcast The Grade Cricketer later this week, although whether that interview proceeds after Cummins’ extraordinary intervention remains to be seen.Friday may have been a significant victory for Cummins in the court of public opinion. At the time of writing, a poll on this masthead, with more than 18,000 respondents, showed that 46 per cent of readers believe “everyone” knew about the use of sandpaper in South Africa. Meanwhile, 44 per cent don’t think every Australian player knew, while 10 per cent were yet to make up their mind.News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Friday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.Tom Decent is the chief sports writer for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners