Sports · Cricket · 51 mins ago
Cricket Australia rules out reopening 2018 ball-tampering inquiry
Cricket Australia will not reopen its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
CEO Todd Greenberg said the board sees no benefit in revisiting the case after new claims by former batter Usman Khawaja.
In his autobiography, Khawaja says the plan to use sandpaper on the ball was known across the Australian team, not just by the three players named in the original inquiry.
That inquiry found Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were involved; Smith and Warner received 12-month bans, and Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.
Warner and former player Chadd Sayers have backed Khawaja's account, while Greenberg says other players give a different version.
The dispute matters because the new claims challenge the findings that closed a major cheating scandal in Australian cricket.
Greenberg says the board remains satisfied with the original inquiry and wants the team to look ahead.
Some Australian players are expected to address the claims in the coming days, but no new inquiry is planned.
Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has ruled out reopening the investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
He said the organisation sees no compelling reason to revisit the inquiry and remains comfortable with its findings.
Usman Khawaja’s autobiography says the ball-tampering plan was known across the team, rather than only by a few players.
David Warner backed Khawaja’s account, calling it “100% accurate”.
The original Cricket Australia investigation found Steve Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft were the only players with prior knowledge of the plan.
- Who
- Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg ruled out a new inquiry; Usman Khawaja made the recent claims.
- What
- Cricket Australia will not reopen its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
- When
- Greenberg made the decision public on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
- Where
- The scandal involved the Cape Town Test in South Africa; Greenberg discussed the inquiry on SEN radio.
- Why
- Greenberg said there was no compelling reason to revisit the investigation and that accounts of events differ.
Cricket Australia under Todd Greenberg
Usman Khawaja and David Warner
Investigation
Cricket Australia under Todd Greenberg
Greenberg said CA remains comfortable with the original investigation’s outcome and will not reopen it.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner
Khawaja’s account challenges the original finding that only three players knew of the plan; Warner backed Khawaja’s account.
What the team knew
Cricket Australia under Todd Greenberg
Greenberg said other players have given accounts that differ from Khawaja’s and have maintained their position since 2018.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner
Khawaja said the plot was known across the team, and Warner called his claims “100% accurate”.
Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper during the Cape Town Test, and Cricket Australia later found Smith, Warner and Bancroft had prior knowledge of the plan.
Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon publicly denied knowing about the specific ball-tampering.
Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, was released and revived debate about how widely the plan was known.
Greenberg said Cricket Australia would not reopen the investigation.
- Investigation
- Cricket Australia found three players had prior knowledge: Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft
- Original suspensions
- Smith and Warner received 12-month bans; Bancroft received a nine-month suspension
- Khawaja’s book
- Sabr
- Greenberg’s position
- No compelling reason to reopen the investigation
- Warner’s response
- Described Khawaja’s account as “100% accurate
12 sources
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What people are saying
We don’t see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again. I don’t think there’s anything that can be gained from that
There are specific details in his book that contradict the versions that have been provided by others
It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us
It’s 100 percent accurate what you’ve said. Now everyone knows the truth. It’s out there. People wanted to know it. You’ve come out and said it