Whole Australia team knew of sandpaper use - Khawaja
Usman Khawaja claims in his autobiography that the entire Australia cricket team knew about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal against South Africa.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Usman Khawaja reveals in his autobiography Sabr that the entire Australian cricket team was aware of sandpaper use.
- The infamous ball-tampering incident took place during the 2018 Test series against South Africa in Cape Town.
- Four Australian bowlers have consistently denied having any prior knowledge of the prohibited plan.
- Khawaja expressed shock that he was never questioned during Cricket Australia's official investigation.
Former opening batsman Usman Khawaja has claimed that every single member of the Australian cricket team was fully aware of the plan to use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the final Test of their 2018 series against South Africa, according to extracts published in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The incident, widely condemned and dubbed 'sandpapergate', resulted in heavy bans for captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and fellow batsman Cameron Bancroft after global outrage over the deliberate cheating.
"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us."
Usman Khawaja, 39
Despite Khawaja's revelations, the four Australian bowlers who featured in that match—including current Test captain Pat Cummins—have consistently maintained through joint statements that they had no prior knowledge of any foreign substance being taken onto the field until it flashed up on the big screen at Newlands.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The sandpaper scandal remains one of the darkest chapters in modern cricket history. Khawaja's decision to bring new perspectives to light years later highlights lingering tensions and unaddressed accountability within the squad, contrasting sharply with the unified denials issued by the bowling attack.
Khawaja, who accumulated 6,229 runs across 88 Test matches, stated that discussions regarding tampering with the ball actually began during the second Test of the South Africa series before the scandal broke wide open in the third Test when television cameras caught Bancroft red-handed.
He also expressed genuine astonishment that despite playing eight years since the scandal, investigators from Cricket Australia never approached him to provide evidence during their formal inquiries.
Source: BBC Sport
Found something wrong in this article? Report an issue with this article
Comments
Leave a Comment