Usman Khawaja claims entire Australia team knew of 2018 ball-tampering plot

Former Australia opening batsman Usman Khawaja has blown open one of the darkest chapters in international cricket, declaring that the entire touring squad was aware of the ball-tampering plot during the tour of South Africa. The explosive admissions, revealed ahead of the publication of his autobiography Sabr, directly challenge the official narrative maintained by Cricket Australia since the scandal erupted at Newlands.

The controversy known globally as "Sandpapergate" initially broke during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, when television cameras caught opening batsman Cameron Bancroft handling a yellow object on the field. In the hasty aftermath of the series, Cricket Australia launched an integrity investigation led by then head of integrity Iain Roy and team performance manager Pat Howard. That inquiry concluded that only captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Bancroft held prior knowledge of the scheme. The subsequent punishments shocked the sporting world, dividing opinions across the globe in a manner comparable to major institutional inquiries and high-stakes legal appeals tracked in World coverage.

Media additions

Usman Khawaja writes that the reality inside the dressing room was entirely different, insisting that the responsibility belonged to the collective rather than a designated trio. It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us, he told Nine newspapers, according to Cricinfo. He added that he expected the full truth to emerge naturally over the subsequent years and felt compelled to speak out because the sanctioned players had been crucified and left to shoulder the blame alone.

The disclosures push the timeline of the cheating back further than previously acknowledged. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, open discussions regarding altering the condition of the ball began during the second Test at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha. The team allegedly discovered that sandpaper served as an effective agent during that fixture. Khawaja notes that as conversations unfolded in the change rooms, Smith walked away, giving the clear impression that he did not want to know the details, while Bancroft later volunteered to use the material during South Africa's innings.

The revelations place renewed pressure on Australia's bowling attack. In 2021, after Bancroft described bowler awareness as self-explanatory in an interview with The Guardian, fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and spinner Nathan Lyon released a joint statement categorically denying any prior knowledge of a foreign substance being taken onto the field. Peter Collins, who helped facilitate a player review alongside Rick McCosker through the Centre for Ethical Leadership in the aftermath of the scandal, told The Sydney Morning Herald that Khawaja's assertions directly contradict the bowling quartet's long-standing position and require a formal reopening of inquiries by the governing body.

Reactions from other figures central to the era have varied sharply. Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann, who resigned in the wake of the scandal, disputed that every individual in the touring party possessed detailed knowledge. Speaking on ABC Sport’s Grandstand, Lehmann pointed out that ball tampering had occurred across international cricket for decades and argued that the extent of awareness varied on a case-by-case basis. Lehmann also questioned the timing of the book release, suggesting that some matters were better left unsaid for the good of the sport and the mental well-being of those involved.

Cricket Australia issued a formal statement defending its original investigation process and maintaining confidence in its historical conclusions. There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test... All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process, a spokesperson stated, while reiterating that channels remain open for any new material to be formally submitted.

Among the more surprising procedural revelations in the book is Khawaja's claim that investigators never interviewed him during the 2018 probe, despite his sitting directly next to Bancroft in the Newlands dressing room throughout the entire fixture. He suspects his known stance on collective accountability kept him off the investigators' call sheet.

Current Test captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Khawaja gave him a courtesy heads-up phone call prior to publication, telling his former teammate to tell his story while emphasizing that the group had moved on. Meanwhile, Cameron Bancroft received an advance chapter from Khawaja and has spent time considering his response alongside his management team.

As the cricket world digests the extracts from Sabr ahead of its official release, attention turns to whether Cricket Australia will face mounting pressure to launch a secondary review or whether the governing body will continue to rely on its eight-year-old findings.