Australia bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon have denied that they planned to boycott last year's fourth Test against South Africa if David Warner had been free to play.
Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft were given long bans for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands last March.
It was reported in the Australian media this week that Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Lyon would have refused to play in the final match of the series in Johannesburg in the wake of the Cape Town fiasco if Warner was in the side.
With Warner and Smith now eligible to resume their international careers as of this week, the quartet have refuted claims they would have made themselves unavailable if the former vice-captain had been selected.
They said in a statement released by Cricket Australia: "We are extremely disappointed in an article which was first published across Fairfax platforms on March 29, 2019.
"The article claims we intended to withdraw from the fourth Test during last year's tour of South Africa had David Warner been free to play.
"This claim is disappointing on a number of fronts but most importantly because it is false.
"False claims circulated in the media, such as these, which question our relationship with David are inflammatory and misleading.
"As a team we are all focused on moving forward together and helping the Australian Men's team prepare for the World Cup and the Ashes."
