Australia's four bowlers from the infamous Newlands 2018 Test have denied knowing about the ball tampering that occurred during the match insisting 'they pride themselves on their honesty'.
Via a post on Mitchell Starc's official website, Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood released a statement saying they 'did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field' until they saw vision on the big screen at the Cape Town-based venue.
The ball tampering incident, which involved Cameron Bancroft being caught rubbing sandpaper on the ball during a Test against South Africa in 2018, has resurfaced in the last few days after Bancroft inferred in a Guardian interview that the bowlers knew what was going on with the ball.
However, the four Australian bowlers have attempted to put the issue to bed and have asked for the 'rumour-mongering and innuendo' to end.
"We pride ourselves on our honesty. So it’s been disappointing to see that our integrity has been questioned by some journalists and past players in recent days in regard to the Cape Town Test of 2018," the statement from the bowlers read.
"We have already answered questions many times on this issue, but we feel compelled to put the key facts on the record again: We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands
"And to those who, despite the absence of evidence, insist that ‘we must have known’ about the use of a foreign substance simply because we are bowlers, we say this: The umpires during that Test match, Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth, both very respected and experienced umpires, inspected the ball after the images surfaced on the TV coverage and did not change it because there was no sign of damage.
"None of this excuses what happened on the field that day at Newlands. It was wrong and it should never have happened.
"We’ve all learned valuable lessons and we’d like to think the public can see a change for the better in terms of the way we play, the way we behave and respect the game. Our commitment to improving as people and players will continue.
"We respectfully request an end to the rumour-mongering and innuendo.
"It has gone on too long and it is time to move on."
Bancroft was banned for nine months for his part in the incident, while then skipper Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were suspended for a year.
