David Warner: Former opener says Pat Cummins has thrown Usman Khawaja ‘under the bus’

David Warner has accused Pat Cummins of throwing Usman Khawaja “under the bus” as the temperature in Australian cricket’s civil war ratchets up to new heights.

Cummins used a press conference on Friday morning to rebuke Khawaja’s claims the entire Test side was aware ball tampering was taking place in South Africa in 2018 in the strongest possible terms, describing his former teammate’s version of events as “complete and utter nonsense”.

Khawaja’s autobiography contradicts Cricket Australia’s official narrative that only Warner, Steve Smith and Cam Bancroft — who were each levelled with heavy penalties — were aware of plans to use sandpaper on the ball in Cape Town.

In his role as a commentator for the series-opening one-day international between Australia and England at Optus Stadium, Warner defended his close friend and took aim at Cummins.

“I still stick by Uzzy and what he’s written in that book, because it is the truth, and I really, really support him,” Warner said on Fox Cricket.

“I actually feel for him at the moment. I actually feel that today, the captain threw Uzzy under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that.

“All three of us have paid a big price in this thing. I hadn’t spoken about it in eight years, but at the end of the day, we’ve got to live with these consequences daily. We’ve been served a life punishment.

“When other people talk about they’ve been affected by it, there’s nothing worse for me, Steve and Cam, who have to walk out there every day and we cop abuse.

“Yes, we accepted it, but at the end of the day, my wife and I paid the greatest price. We lost a baby during that time. That’s why it really hurts me the most until the truth is accepted.”

Warner described the investigation which was conducted in the days after the event as “botched” and said “it was hard” for the trio to go back to CA and present fresh evidence.

“Some of the questions were quite challenging in a way that it was being planted on us, and we had to move on and accept responsibility,” he said.

“Ultimately, we did.”

When asked if he would one day share his version of events in full, Warner — who has reportedly signed a book deal with Harper-Collins — responded: “In time, potentially”.

“It’s inevitable, everyone writes a book at the end of their careers,” he said.

The West Australian columnist Justin Langer, who was appointed as the side’s coach in the wake of the scandal, said he hoped Cummins’ comments would help everyone move on from a “really dark week in Australian cricket”.

“I think he (Cummins) did what he had to do. Strong leaders, they stand up ... the captain stood up and Mitch Marsh stood up yesterday,” Langer told SEN.

“Hopefully, that’ll put some sort of line in the sand, because we have to move on. There’s too many people being hurt in Australian cricket, and that includes the Australian public.

“We have to draw a line in the sand somewhere ... whether the press conference today is going to help that or hinder that, time will tell.

“It hasn’t gone away. It’s really sad as a part of the Australian cricket family.”

Former Australia fast bowler Brendon Julian was also full of praise for how Cummins handled a marathon 70-minute press conference.

“All of a sudden, it goes from Sandpapergate, it goes to reverse-swing bowling, it goes to racism, it goes to a whole category of questions that he’s got to cop, and he’s happy to do that,” he said.

“I think he had to come out and say something to the people and I love the way that he’s gone about it. I love the way that he’s (taken) a couple of days to reflect on it and then make his decision on what he wants to say.”