Australia is scheduled to travel to the West Indies for a five-match T20I series and three One Day Internationals in July 2021. Ahead of the marquee tour, it is speculated that Cricket Australia (CA) can give rest to Australia’s veteran opener David Warner and speedster Pat Cummins. It is learned that the two players can be excluded from the Australia tour of the West Indies for family reasons. 

As of now, both Cummins and Warner are a part of a 23-member squad for five T20Is and three ODIs against the West Indies. However, CA is talking about giving these two some time off to give them an opportunity to spend time with their family. This development might have occurred after David Warner’s manager James Erskine had given a controversial statement on the ball-tampering scandal saying that the truth will come out. 

As per a report published by Sydney Morning Herald, James said that after his retirement, Warner will write a book about the ball-tampering scandal in which he will reveal the details of the entire incident. Notably, the ball-tampering scandal rocked Australian cricket in 2018. Captain Steve Smith, Warner, and bowler Cameron Banocraft were found guilty of tampering the ball during a Test match in South Africa in 2018. 

Three years after the entire incident, the ball-tampering scandal re-surfaced after Cameron Bancroft hinted that the bowlers were also involved in the entire episode. The allegations by the Australian pacer have placed Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon under the radar.

Pat Cummins and the other three bowlers release an official statement

On May 18, all the four bowlers broke their silence on the issue as they released an official statement stating that they were innocent and didn’t know anything about the scandal. Also, the bowlers requested to put an end to the whole scandal. “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 read.

“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 rumor-mongering and innuendo,” it added. 

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