Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has stated that every member of the team’s dressing room was aware of the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in 2018. Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the release of his book ‘Sabr’, Khawaja contradicted Cricket Australia’s official stance that only Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft knew about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball during the third Test against South Africa.
Disputing Previous Denials
Khawaja addressed the extent of the involvement by stating, as reported by Sky Sports: “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us”. Following the scandal, then-captain Smith and Warner received one-year suspensions, while Bancroft was given a nine-month ban for attempting to hide sandpaper down his trousers. In 2021, bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon released a joint statement maintaining they had no prior knowledge of the ball-tampering, which followed remarks from Bancroft suggesting the bowling attack’s awareness was self-explanatory.
Expectations of the Truth
In his book, Khawaja revealed that discussions regarding ball-tampering originated during the second Test of the 2018 series in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha. Explaining his decision to speak out now, Khawaja stated that he expected the full truth to emerge years earlier through David Warner or other teammates. He expressed belief that discussing the matter is fair to the three sanctioned players and offers relief for the rest of the squad to move forward. Khawaja recalled telling his teammates in the dressing room after the match that the team shared collective responsibility and must face the consequences together, noting that the reality unfolded differently and those three individuals faced severe public backlash.
