Cricket Australia admits a final version of the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal may never exist. A spokesperson said, "The significant differences in the views expressed continues to demonstrate that it is very unlikely an agreed version of events will be reached." Many players still share conflicting accounts of that tour.
'Without relevant material evidence,' differences in accounts of the events of Cape Town 2018 will remain, a spokesperson said.
The ghosts of Sandpapergate refuse to go away. Pat Cummins and the mandarins at Cricket Australia (CA) may continue to insist on the official version of events - that only three players were in on the ball-tampering plan - contrary accounts have come up almost on a daily basis, in the wake of the claims in Usman Khawaja's memoir.
After David Warner jumped in to back Khawaja, Sunday saw former seamer Chadd Sayers claim that there was a discussion in the dressing room on how to deal with the controversy, contradicting what the Australian skipper said. Sayers was part of the Australian squad for 2018 tour of South Africa, and played his only Test to date in Johannesburg, the game after the events in Cape Town.
"Everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used," he said.
It has now forced CA to come out and admit that there may never be a version of events that everyone will agree on.
"We respect the right of those in South Africa in 2018 to share their version of what they believe happened on that tour," a CA spokesperson said.
"The significant differences in the views expressed continues to demonstrate that it is very unlikely an agreed version of events will be reached without relevant material evidence."
Even Sayers agreed that it was unlikely that there would be ever be a consensus on the matter.
"I don't think it's ever going to settle unless everyone agrees to what happened," he said. "So, in that sense it's probably not going to settle."
Meanwhile, Warner continued his tirade at CA on Sunday, alleging that he had to admit his role in the saga without being given full information. He had earlier claimed that the bowling group was not interviewed in the investigation. But when various media reports said they were spoken to, the former opener claimed that the governing body had been economical with the truth at that time.
"Just to clarify 'As far as I am aware' was the POINT," Warner wrote on social media. "I was never told the bowlers had been interviewed or provided statements.
"That information would've been pretty useful when I was forced to make decisions back in 2018. Why weren't we given all the evidence by CA?"