- Published
As Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins spent more than an hour being grilled by reporters over one of sport's biggest cheating scandals, the tension in the hall was occasionally pierced by muffled cheers.
asserted
tension → publish → cheers
Outside, a crucial match in the top tier of domestic cricket was getting under way.
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match → get → way
Cummins was clear he'd rather we all be talking about that.
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we → talk → that
But inside the nets at Cricket Central in Sydney, he faced more than a dozen TV cameras and a gaggle of journalists several times as large.
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he → face → journalists
His goal: to put rumours of his involvement in "sandpapergate" to rest.
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goal → put → sandpapergate
"I don't want to talk about this again after today," he said.
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he → want → today
"Even if it takes all day...
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it → take → day
I'll stay here until we have no more questions."
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we → stay → questions
A book by his friend and former teammate Usman Khawaja has renewed scrutiny on a 2018 plot to tamper with the ball using sandpaper in Australia's third Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.
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book → renew → Town
Three players admitted they were involved at the time and were handed lengthy bans, but in a memoir released last week, Khawaja said the entire Australian team knew about the sandpaper scheme.
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team → admit → scheme
His claims have plunged the Australian cricket world into chaos, thrown speculation over key figures from that Test - including star bowler Cummins who has since risen to hold what many joke is Australia's most important job - and reopened wounds for fans.
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many → plunge → fans
Josh, 28, told the BBC he thought everyone had moved on: "It's just a bit crazy that it's all blown up again...
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it → tell → BBC
I think it is a bit ridiculous, after eight years.
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it → think → years
"
"I'm a bit bored of it," another spectator at the New South Wales vs South Australia Sheffield Shield match said.
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spectator → say → match
Among fans, there's frustration that Khawaja has chosen to come forward now, almost a decade on and at the start of an exciting summer, and year, of cricket.
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Khawaja → be → cricket
Though there's an argument there'd never be a good time for Khawaja, who retired from international cricket in January, to make these allegations.
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who → be → allegations
And there's a sense of injustice that Australia can't seem to escape the scandal, given - according to many players themselves - how common boundary-bending on ball tampering apparently was in that era.
"It's a bit of a stitch up," 21-year-old James said.
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James → be → stitch
"Every country has done it...
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country → do → it
if it wasn't us, it was probably going to be someone else."
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it → go → ?
Khawaja's memoir is also causing rancour among current and former players and coaches.
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memoir → cause → players
In it, he said he had wanted the team to take collective responsibility for the tampering after batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught with the sandpaper on field.
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Bancroft → say → field
"I said: 'Take this as a team.
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I → say → team
We did this as a team.
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We → do → team
We knew what was going on, and we have to take it as a team'.
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we → know → team
"
However Khawaja has since said he didn't want to start a "witch hunt" and has refused to answer questions on exactly who he claims knew of the scheme, and what they knew.
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they → say → what
David Warner, who received the most severe punishment of the Cape Town trio, said Khawaja had written the truth and that Cummins' press conference denying the claims "threw him under the bus".
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conference → receive → bus
Steve Smith, the captain at the time who was also suspended, has been travelling overseas and is yet to say anything publicly about the claims in the book.
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who → suspend → book
Bancroft is also staying silent for now despite previously suggesting the bowlers knew.
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bowlers → stay → ?
But half of Australia's living cricket royalty and a slew of former coaches - some of whom have been accused of wrongdoing too - have thrown in their two cents.
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some → live → cents
And Cricket Australia is under pressure from some to reopen its investigation into sandpapergate - something chief executive Todd Greenberg has already ruled out.
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Greenberg → reopen → sandpapergate
Prof David Rowe of the University of Western Sydney told the BBC the saga was still so painful for many players and fans as the country sees itself as "a nation of good sports".
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country → tell → sports
One is being good at sport, so you actually win.
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you → win → sport
But the other side is that you do it honourably and fairly," he said.
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he → do → it
"Many Australians would see themselves as above all that.
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themselves → see → that
That is: cheating is what other teams get up to... not the nation of good sports."
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teams → get → sports
He said the revelation was a "nasty shock" which brought the country "collective shame" which lingers today.
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which → say → shame
He says he doubts that the cricket scene would be able to move on without a fresh response from the governing body, Cricket Australia.
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scene → say → body
"One of the best ways to fuel conspiracy theories and keep sandpapergate going is to essentially say 'there's no more to see here' - especially when that comes from the authorities," Rowe said.
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Rowe → fuel → authorities
Asked about a fresh investigation, Cummins said it was a matter for Cricket Australia.
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it → ask → Australia
Over the marathon press conference - which one reporter suggested was the longest in Australian sporting history - Cummins was cautious, pausing often to consider his responses and to make sure they answered the questions being asked of him.
But he was also frank - using strong words to reject what he said were "vague" claims by Khawaja and admitting he was frustrated a friend had put him in this position.
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friend → suggest → position
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
