Mitchell Starc says it is up to Usman Khawaja if the pair speak again, after denying his ex-teammate's claim that the entire team knew of the 2018 sandpaper plot.

Starc on Tuesday became the first member of Australia's bowling cartel to speak since Khawaja's bombshell revelations once again shook cricket.

The left-armer remained adamant he did not know about the use of sandpaper prior to Cameron Bancroft being caught by camera operators in Cape Town. 

Starc also insisted he was unaware it had been used in the previous Test in the 2018 series, after Khawaja revealed the plan was hatched and rolled out at St George's Park. 

Australia's bowlers released a statement in 2021 declaring they did not know of the ball-tampering plot, a point Starc reiterated at Kayo Cricket's launch event on Tuesday. 

'We weren't aware anything was taken onto the field to be tampered with,' Starc told a heaving press pack. 

'We saw (the sandpaper) on the big screen in Cape Town. 

'As far as the book is concerned, I haven't read it. I probably won't read it. So that's for Usman to elaborate on.' 

Starc's comments came after Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg ruled out reopening the investigation into the matter on Tuesday morning. 

CA's investigation found only Bancroft, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were aware of the plan. 

Warner has since posted on Instagram that Khawaja's claims were '100 per cent accurate', labelling CA's investigation as 'rushed and botched'. 

Asked why he and Khawaja had such differing views, Starc responded: 'That's a question for him. 

'I'll stick to what I said five years ago, what I said at the time, eight years ago. 

'Clearly, there are different versions from different people, and I'll leave it where I left it back then.'  

Starc said he had not spoken to Khawaja 'in the last day or two' after the sensational excerpts from his autobiography, released on Tuesday, were published at the weekend.  

Asked whether he thought he would speak to Khawaja in the future, Starc replied: 'It's up to him.'

Starc's comments came after Khawaja emphatically denied using the ball-tampering scandal to drive up book sales, declaring: 'I don't need the money.'

The former Test opener took to Instagram on Tuesday to insist that there had been no deal with publisher Penguin to include a chapter on the 2018 saga in the book. 

'I did not negotiate a thing with Penguin when it came to sandpaper or any other topics in my life,' Khawaja said.  

'We didn't even talk about it.

'I signed with them in 2023 and all they said to me was tell your story and I had total control of everything that went in and went out. It was all on me.

'Just over two years later I handed them my final draft. This was the first time I showed them my book. Penguin was shocked. My management was shocked.' 

Khawaja insisted he stood to make little extra out of his memoir even with strong sales, and he would likely have made the same amount of money without bringing up the scandal. 

The ball-tampering topic dominated the Kayo launch on Tuesday afternoon and threatens to have the same impact on the start of the men's summer. 

Mitch Marsh is due to speak before the first ODI against England later in the week and will no doubt be asked about it.

Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne and Scott Boland have also faced similar questions in recent days.

'It's definitely disappointing that that's what we're talking about heading into what's already kicked off as a really exciting summer,' Starc said.

'Probably different people felt different ways about it at the time and certainly through the last eight years. 

'Not only certain players, but certainly the staff and whoever was involved in it. 

'Boof (Darren Lehmann, the coach at the time) for one has obviously spoken a bit as well. He's not to be forgotten in all that as well. 

'As far as I think, Trav (Head) said it best the other day, the group has changed a lot. We certainly look forward to what's coming up more so than what's gone.'