Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja has alleged that the entire national cricket team was aware of the notorious 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town. In his upcoming autobiography, Khawaja claims the squad not only had prior knowledge of the plot but had also utilized similar tactics during the preceding Test match in Port Elizabeth, now referred to as Gqeberha. According to all of us,” he, Ahead of the release of his autobiography next week, where a chapter is dedicated to the issue. “In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this,” Khawaja said. “There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month’s series in South Africa,” it said.
The “Sandpapergate” controversy led to significant sanctions, with captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft being sent home in disgrace. “Maybe I thought Davey [Warner] would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more.
A Cricket Australia inquiry originally concluded that only these three players were aware of the plan.
Consequently, Smith received a one-year ban and was removed from the captaincy, Warner was suspended for 12 months with a leadership ban, and Bancroft faced a nine-month suspension. Head coach Darren Lehmann later resigned, though he was cleared of direct involvement.
Khawaja, who retired this year following an 88-Test career, contends that the responsibility was collective. “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” he stated. He recounts that after the Cape Town Test, he urged the team to accept joint responsibility rather than allowing Warner, Smith, and Bancroft to serve as scapegoats for the group. But Khawaja, who retired this year after 88 Tests, told The Sydney Morning Herald everyone had prior knowledge. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to this.”.
The allegations directly challenge public denials made in 2021 by bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, who maintained they were unaware of the tampering. Khawaja noted his reluctance to address the matter, explaining that he expected the truth to emerge naturally over the eight years since the incident. He suggested he held out hope that those involved would eventually disclose the full extent of the team’s knowledge.
According to his book, discussions regarding methods to roughen the ball occurred in the dressing room during the second Test in Gqeberha. Khawaja claims that once it was discovered that sandpaper effectively altered the ball, Smith allegedly stepped aside, stating he did not wish to be involved. Bancroft then reportedly volunteered to use the item during South Africa’s first innings.
Responding to these fresh claims, Cricket Australia issued a statement reaffirming its confidence in the initial investigation. The board emphasized that it remains open to reviewing new evidence but noted that all information presented to date has been handled through their standard integrity processes. The governing body characterized the recent revelations as part of ongoing speculation that has persisted since the 2018 event. “All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process.”.
