Perth, Nov. 11 -- England Test captain Joe Root has declined to "speculate" on fresh revelations surrounding Australia's 2018 'Sandpapergate' controversy, saying he was not part of the Australian dressing room and that his focus remained on the upcoming ODI series, according to Cricinfo.

The 'Sandpapergate' scandal refers to ball-tampering by Australia during the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town, for which then-captain vice-captain Steve Smith and David Warner received one-year competitive cricket bans, while Cameron Bancroft was also handed sanctions, including a nine-month international/domestic cricket ban.

The renewed attention on the controversy follows several claims made by former Australia batter Usman Khawaja in his...