Sports · Cricket · 6 mins ago
Khawaja says all players knew of 2018 ball tampering
Usman Khawaja says all Australian players and staff knew about ball tampering during the 2018 Test tour of South Africa.
He says sandpaper was used in the previous Test at Port Elizabeth, now called Gqeberha, before it was used in Cape Town.
Cricket Australia's investigation said only Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner knew about the plan, and four bowlers later denied knowing about it.
The scandal came to light during the Cape Town Test, when Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball.
Smith and Warner were banned for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban.
Khawaja says the team should have taken collective responsibility rather than leaving blame with those three players.
He is sharing his account in his memoir, Sabr, which is being prepared for release.
Usman Khawaja says all players and staff on Australia’s 2018 South Africa tour knew about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball.
He says the sandpaper was first discussed and used during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, before Cameron Bancroft was caught using it in Cape Town.
His account conflicts with Cricket Australia’s investigation, which identified Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner as involved, and with denials by four bowlers.
Khawaja has set out his account in his memoir, Sabr.
- Who
- Usman Khawaja, a former Australian batter, made the claims. He says all players and staff on the touring party knew about the plan.
- What
- Khawaja says sandpaper was discussed and used in the second Test, and that the whole touring party knew about the ball-tampering plan.
- When
- The events took place during the 2018 South Africa series. Khawaja made the claims in 2026 ahead of his memoir’s release.
- Where
- The second Test was in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha; Bancroft was caught using sandpaper in the third Test in Cape Town.
- Why
- Khawaja says he believes the truth should be known and that the three players who were punished deserve the team to take collective responsibility.
Usman Khawaja
Cricket Australia’s investigation and the four bowlers who issued a denial
Knowledge of the plan
Usman Khawaja
Khawaja says all players and staff knew about it.
Cricket Australia’s investigation and the four bowlers who issued a denial
Cricket Australia’s investigation identified Bancroft, Smith and Warner as having prior knowledge; the four bowlers denied knowing a foreign substance had been taken onto the field.
When sandpaper was used
Usman Khawaja
Khawaja says it was discussed and used in the second Test in Port Elizabeth.
Cricket Australia’s investigation and the four bowlers who issued a denial
The official investigation concluded that only Bancroft, Smith and Warner had prior knowledge of the plot to use sandpaper in Cape Town.
Khawaja says sandpaper was discussed and used during the Test in Port Elizabeth.
Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball in Cape Town.
Australia’s bowling quartet issued a statement denying knowledge of a foreign substance being taken onto the field.
Khawaja made his claims ahead of the release of his memoir, Sabr.
- Second Test
- Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha
- Third Test
- Cape Town
- Bancroft’s ban
- Nine months
- Smith and Warner’s bans
- 12 months each
- Memoir
- Sabr
5 sources
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What people are saying
It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us
In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this … I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth.
Open, lighthearted discussions were held in the dressing room at St George’s Park about how to find ways to rough up the ball, culminating in the discovery of sandpaper as an effective agent.