Usman Khawaja Claims Entire Australia Team Knew About 2018 Sandpapergate Scandal

Usman Khawaja Claims Entire Touring Party Knew About 2018 Ball-Tampering

In his book Sabr, former Australia opener Usman Khawaja claims that every member of the touring party was aware of the ball-tampering scheme during the 2018 tour of South Africa. Khawaja contends in his upcoming autobiography, Sabr, that the plan to alter the condition of the ball was an open team matter rather than an isolated conspiracy by a few players. That assertion directly challenges official findings from Cricket Australia, which previously sanctioned only captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft following the third Test in Cape Town.

Khawaja writes that discussions regarding ball manipulation began during the second Test at Port Elizabeth—now known as Gqeberha—where the team allegedly discovered that sandpaper served as an effective agent. Television cameras subsequently caught Bancroft using sandpaper on the ball during the March 2018 match at Newlands, sparking an international scandal that led to year-long suspensions for Smith and Warner, and a nine-month ban for Bancroft. Head coach Darren Lehmann resigned immediately after the incident. Khawaja stated: It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us. He also stated that the South Africa team were far better at working on the ball and that the Australians were trying to keep up with them. Khawaja added: I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth.

Darren Lehmann and Bowlers Deny Prior Knowledge of Ball Tampering

Darren Lehmann responded to Khawaja’s claims in an interview, stating he did not believe everyone in the touring party knew about the plot. Lehmann noted that ball-conditioning discussions had circulated in cricket for decades, but individual actions remained case-by-case matters. Fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and spinner Nathan Lyon maintained their stance from a joint 2021 statement reported by The Guardian, insisting they had no prior knowledge of any foreign substance until seeing the stadium big screen replays at Newlands. Lehmann stated: I don’t think everyone would have known [about the use of sandpaper]. He added: You do know ball tampering is going on because it’s been happening for 150 years.

Khawaja expressed surprise that investigators never interviewed him during the initial probe. Khawaja added that he chose to write the chapter to bring justice to Warner, Smith, and Bancroft, whom he believes bore an unfair burden while the rest of the squad remained quiet. Khawaja reached out to Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg in advance, though with limited detail on what he would be writing, whereas Lehmann was not contacted.

Pat Cummins Responds to Autobiography Revelations

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Khawaja telephoned him ahead of the book’s release to discuss the contents. Cummins told his former teammate to share his story, noting that formal investigations concluded years ago and the team had answered every question multiple times. Cricket Australia issued a formal statement maintaining that all relevant information presented over the past eight years had been properly evaluated and that the organization remained comfortable with its original integrity process.

Khawaja concluded that the severe fallout ultimately forced the Australian team to rediscover humility under subsequent coach Justin Langer. Khawaja retired from international duty following the Ashes series in the winter, closing a career that yielded 6,229 runs across 88 Test matches. Khawaja also mentioned that the team had acted like idiots for the previous seven years.

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