Usman Khawaja has stood by the claims in his autobiography, Sabr, after Australia Test captain Pat Cummins strongly rejected his account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. At Sydney Airport on Sunday, the former opener insisted that everything he wrote in the book was the truth.

The book has reopened debate over Australia's Cape Town Test against South Africa in March 2018, where Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera applying sandpaper to the ball. Bancroft received a nine-month ban, while Steve Smith and David Warner were each suspended for 12 months.

Usman Khawaja Breaks Silence on Cummins' Response and Stands by Sandpaper Claims

Usman Khawaja had cancelled his scheduled media commitments following the reaction to his autobiography, which was released last week. Pat Cummins addressed the allegations during an hour-long press conference on Friday.

The former opener was approached by The Australian at Sydney Airport on Sunday. After arriving in a chauffeur-driven vehicle, he was escorted through security by an airport duty manager and later accompanied by Qantas staff towards his flight.

Asked whether he was throwing out a grenade before going silent, Usman Khawaja referred to Bancroft's silence following the scandal and reiterated his position.

"What I wrote in my book is what I wrote in my book and it’s the truth. That’s all I have to say. In the name of the great Cameron Bancroft, I’ve got nothing else to say," Khawaja said.

He declined to answer further questions about the racism allegations in his book, his claims about leadership selections and whether he had lied in his account. He also had no response when asked about Cummins' strong criticism.

Pat Cummins Calls Khawaja's Claims About Australia's Bowling Attack 'Complete and Utter Nonsense'

Pat Cummins rejected Usman Khawaja's claim that the entire Australian team knew sandpaper was being used during the Cape Town Test. The Australia captain insisted that he had no prior knowledge of the plan and had maintained the same position over the past eight years.

"When he (Khawaja) says ‘we all knew’, if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out on the field, he is 100 per cent wrong," Cummins said.

"I’ve said that consistently for the last eight years. I did not know that was happening. But I think Usman actually says things that are actually far more serious than that. He says I and others were architects of a scheme to ball-tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense," Cummins added.

Cummins was part of the bowling attack alongside Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon during the 2018 Test. Tim Paine took over as Australia's captain after Smith was suspended following the scandal.

David Warner Accuses Cricket Australia of Cover-Up After Khawaja's ABC Interview

Usman Khawaja had also faced questions from Sarah Ferguson during an interview on ABC's 7.30 program on Monday. He avoided directly answering questions about Cummins' alleged prior knowledge of the scandal and admitted that he was unsure how the revelations would affect their friendship.

“I’ve told my truth, and I’d give him my reasons. Pat Cummins is a good friend of mine. Mitchell Starc, a lot of these guys, like guys of the team, other players in the team, Shaun Marsh, Mitch Marsh, all very good friends of mine. I’m not here to go on a witch hunt,” Usman Khawaja said.

Meanwhile, former Australia vice-captain Warner backed Khawaja's account and questioned Cricket Australia's investigation into the incident. Warner, who received a 12-month ban alongside Smith, claimed on Instagram that the governing body had not interviewed Hazlewood, Starc or Lyon during its initial probe.

“As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation,” Warner posted.