More than eight years after the 2018 ball-tampering saga in Cape Town, former Australian batter Usman Khawaja has claimed that the entire squad was aware of the practice. In his upcoming autobiography, Sabr, Khawaja asserts that sandpaper was utilized not only during the infamous Cape Town Test but also in the preceding match in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). “Even in the change rooms when I was talking to them after the game.
These assertions directly challenge a joint statement released in 2021 by Australia’s bowling attack, comprising Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, who at the time denied any prior knowledge of the ball being tampered with. Khawaja’s account emphasizes a collective responsibility, stating, “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”
The 2018 incident saw opener Cameron Bancroft caught hiding sandpaper on the field. Following an investigation, captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and Bancroft received significant bans. Smith was suspended for 12 months and barred from leadership roles for an additional year, while Warner received a lifetime captaincy ban—which was later overturned in 2024—and a 12-month playing suspension. Bancroft was banned for nine months.
Khawaja revealed that he urged his teammates within the dressing room to take collective responsibility immediately following the incident, rather than letting the three players take the fall alone. “I said, ‘Take this as a team’. We did this as a team. We knew what was going on,” he noted. Expressing disappointment that his suggestion was not followed, he added that he felt the three involved players were essentially “crucified” for an organizational failure. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to this. “Obviously, it didn’t work that way, and those three guys got crucified.”. It will just be hearsay and ‘their word’ if they do, and rightly so. According to “If you read my story, if you read what I’m saying, I have numerous times, It’s us, the team.
A notable point of contention for Khawaja is the investigation process conducted by Cricket Australia. He expressed shock at never being interviewed by the board despite sitting next to Bancroft throughout the Cape Town Test. He believes he was excluded from the inquiry because investigators suspected he would tell the truth and insist on collective responsibility. “I was waiting for my phone to ring. It just never rang, and then the penalties were given, and I couldn’t believe it,” he stated.
Khawaja, who retired from international cricket after the most recent Ashes series, shared that he informed the current Test captain, Pat Cummins, about the contents of his book prior to Australia’s tour of South Africa. “In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by the aforementioned source. “I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. According to khawaja, He spoke to Cummins, the current Australian Test captain, ahead of the recent tour of South Africa where Australia lost the Test rubber 2-1, about his book and that he was going to open up about the ball-tampering saga in it.
He acknowledges that these revelations might cause short-term friction but insists that speaking out is a necessary step toward justice for Smith, Warner, and Bancroft.
He noted, “None of those three want to be the first to say anything. They needed someone else to say something.” “Maybe I thought Davey would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more.
By bringing these events to light, Khawaja hopes to finally move past the issue and provide some relief for the individuals who bore the brunt of the sanctions. He remains steadfast that the incident was a team-wide issue rather than the isolated actions of a few individuals, expressing a hope that his transparency will allow the group to collectively put the chapter behind them. And right from the very start, I’ve been on the train of collectively taking it, but the longer it’s gone on for.
