Penguin says Khawaja book tour will continue amid ball-tampering dispute

Usman Khawaja's publisher says the former Australia batter's book tour is continuing despite changes to his promotional schedule, following renewed scrutiny of his account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. In a statement reported by ABC Sport on Wednesday, Penguin rejected suggestions that the tour had been cancelled and confirmed that further interviews would take place.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB19KGYAJOA

Penguin did not identify which interviews had been cancelled. The clarification followed Khawaja's appearance on ABC's 7.30 on Tuesday night, when Sarah Ferguson questioned him about the scandal. His autobiography, Sabr, was released on Tuesday and includes a chapter devoted to the South Africa tour that led to suspensions for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

According to BBC Sport, Khawaja declined to name other players who knew about the tampering, saying his intention was to encourage collective responsibility rather than single out individuals. He said he had removed names while revising his account. When asked specifically whether Pat Cummins had known about the tampering, Khawaja declined to answer the question.

The BBC reported that Cricket Australia's investigation found the bowling attack had been unaware of the tampering. Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, who played in the third Test, issued a joint statement in 2021 denying knowledge that a foreign substance had been brought onto the field. Those findings and denials remain distinct from Khawaja's account of wider team involvement.

Khawaja said he hoped others would discuss the episode honestly, but would not compel them to do so, the BBC reported. He described Cummins and Starc as friends and said his purpose was to support the three players who had borne the consequences. He also declined to speak on Warner's behalf when asked about his former team-mate's response to the book.

ABC reported that Warner had backed Khawaja's account, while Starc again denied on Tuesday that the bowlers knew about the sandpaper plan. Cricket Australia is not reopening its investigation, according to ABC. The publisher's confirmation therefore settles the immediate question of whether the tour continues, without resolving the conflicting accounts of who knew about the tampering.