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Usman Khawaja has made a fresh and explosive claim about Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandal, alleging that the team had used sandpaper on the ball even before the infamous incident in Cape Town. The former Australian opener has claimed that the practice had also taken place during the preceding Test against South Africa in Gqeberha, raising further questions about how much the team knew about the controversy.
Usman Khawaja's revelations feature in extracts from his upcoming autobiography, SabR. Until now, the public understanding of the Newlands scandal has largely centred on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who received bans for their involvement. Khawaja has now challenged that version of events, claiming the responsibility extended beyond those three players and that he was never questioned by Cricket Australia's investigators.
Usman Khawaja makes explosive claim about Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandal
Australia's tour of South Africa in 2018 became infamous after television cameras caught Bancroft attempting to alter the ball's condition with sandpaper during the third Test at Newlands in Cape Town. Smith, who was captain, and Warner, the vice-captain, were also found responsible for their roles in the incident. Smith and Warner received 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months. Warner was additionally handed a lifetime leadership ban, which was overturned in 2024.
However, Usman Khawaja has now alleged that the use of sandpaper was not limited to the Cape Town Test. He claims the entire team knew about the practice and that it had also been used in the previous Test in Gqeberha. He also questioned why Cricket Australia's investigation never included an interview with him, despite his proximity to Bancroft in the dressing room.
"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja told Nine.
Khawaja has also claimed that Cricket Australia's investigator never contacted him during the original inquiry.
Notably, this is not the first time that the entire Australian setup has been accused of being aware of ball-tampering, as earlier Bancroft hinted at the same in a 2021 interview, but the Big 4 - Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon - completely rejected the suggestions.
Why Usman Khawaja revealed unheard details of Australia's Sandpapergate scandal now?
Usman Khawaja has explained that he did not particularly want to reopen the controversy after eight years. However, he felt that the complete truth had not emerged and that the three players who received bans had continued to carry the consequences of the scandal.
He said he had always believed the team should have accepted collective responsibility rather than allowing the punishment to fall on three individuals.
"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. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now.
"Maybe I thought Davey would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more. I just didn't think it was going to come down to this. But the longer it's gone on for, and right from the very start, I've been on the train of collectively taking it."
Khawaja also spoke about the impact the episode had on Warner, Bancroft and Smith. He believes the players have continued to deal with the reputational damage, even after serving their respective suspensions.
"Obviously, it didn't work that way, and those three guys got crucified. I've seen Davey over the last eight years just get nailed bad over and over again, and it's taken a big man not to say anything and just to stay quiet."
He added that Bancroft had struggled to regain his place in the Test side despite scoring heavily in domestic cricket, while Smith had also carried the memory of the episode. Khawaja insisted that his decision to speak publicly was about what he considered fair treatment for his former teammates.
Cricket Australia reacts to Usman Khawaja's fresh revelation
Cricket Australia responded to Usman Khawaja's interview by defending the integrity process conducted after the Cape Town incident. The governing body said it had considered the information presented to it and remained satisfied with its findings.
"There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month's series in South Africa," the CA statement said.
"During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case.
"All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process."
Does Usman Khawaja have an evil motive behind Sandpaper Gate revelations?
No. Based on his explanation, Khawaja says his intention is to challenge what he believes was an incomplete account of the scandal and to support the three players who faced the consequences. His claims are significant, but they remain allegations and do not, by themselves, establish that every member of the Australian team participated in ball tampering.
Usman Khawaja has also been an outspoken figure throughout his career, regularly sharing his views on issues within cricket and beyond it. He has rarely avoided difficult conversations, even when his opinions have attracted criticism. His latest comments appear consistent with that willingness to speak openly.
He has admitted that he would have preferred someone else to reveal the information, but believes the matter could not remain unresolved indefinitely. He also made clear that his motivation was not to create controversy around the release of his autobiography.
"But I'm not doing this for any other reason than I think it's the right thing to do. I've always felt like there's more to life than just cricket, and these guys, in some respect, deserve that justice," Usman said.
Whether Khawaja's account leads to further questions about the 2018 investigation remains to be seen. For now, his claims have reopened a debate that Australian cricket had largely considered settled.
