Sports · Cricket · 59 mins ago
Cricket Australia stands by 2018 ball-tampering investigation
Cricket Australia says it stands by its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
Retired Australian batter Usman Khawaja has claimed that the whole team knew about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball.
The scandal erupted during a Test match in Cape Town, South Africa, where Cameron Bancroft was caught hiding sandpaper.
Khawaja says the sandpaper was first discussed and used in the preceding Test in Port Elizabeth, now called Gqeberha.
Cricket Australia’s investigation found that only Warner, Smith and Bancroft knew in advance about the plan.
Khawaja says he was not interviewed, and his claims have renewed scrutiny of Australia’s bowlers, who denied knowing that a foreign substance was taken onto the field.
Cricket Australia says it considered all relevant information and that people can still present information to it.
Cricket Australia says it remains comfortable with its findings on the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
The governing body said all relevant information presented to it had been properly considered.
Usman Khawaja has claimed the entire Australian team knew about the plan to tamper with the ball.
Cricket Australia’s investigation found that only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge of the plan.
Khawaja also said he was not interviewed by Cricket Australia despite sitting beside Bancroft during the Newlands Test.
- Who
- Cricket Australia and retired Test batsman Usman Khawaja.
- What
- Cricket Australia defended its 2018 investigation findings after Khawaja claimed the entire Australian team knew about the ball-tampering plan.
- When
- The response was published on November 7, 2026; the scandal took place in 2018.
- Where
- The scandal involved the Test in Cape Town, South Africa, and Khawaja said the plan was first discussed and used in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha.
- Why
- Khawaja’s claims challenged the investigation’s conclusion about who knew of the plan.
Cricket Australia
Usman Khawaja
Who knew about the plan
Cricket Australia
The investigation concluded that only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge.
Usman Khawaja
Khawaja said the entire Australian team knew about the plan.
Investigation
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia said all relevant information presented to it had been properly considered and it remained comfortable with the findings.
Usman Khawaja
Khawaja questioned why he was not interviewed despite sitting beside Bancroft during the Newlands Test.
The ball-tampering scandal took place during Australia’s Test in Cape Town.
Australia’s bowling quartet issued a joint statement denying knowledge of a foreign substance being taken onto the field in Cape Town.
Cricket Australia defended its investigation findings after Khawaja’s claims were published.
- Investigation finding
- Only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge of the plan
- Khawaja's claim
- The entire Australian team knew about the plan
- Reported earlier location
- Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha
- Cape Town incident
- Bancroft was caught on camera concealing sandpaper in his pants
What people are saying
All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process.
It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.
I was sitting next to Cam Bancroft that whole Test match, and I didn’t get interviewed.