The 2018 sandpaper scandal involving the Australia cricket team has returned to the spotlight following the release of Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr. The new book suggests that more players and staff had knowledge of the ball-tampering plot than the three individuals originally punished.
Reigniting the 2018 Scandal
Published on Tuesday, Khawaja’s book and his subsequent public comments have reopened a controversy that once consumed the nation. In his autobiography, Khawaja writes, “I’m going to use the term ‘we’ throughout this chapter, because ‘we’ are team Australia – although in this book I’m not speaking on behalf of anyone but myself. This will be my recollection of events.”
In a video posted on Instagram, he added, “You would have seen when I mentioned it was all of us, that’s implying that whether we like it or not, we are all responsible for what happened together. As a team, we need to take that collectively. That is all.” Speaking to ABC, he stated, “I’m not here to go on a witch hunt. All I’ve ever wanted is for us to take accountability as a team.”
Rather than directly naming individuals, the former batter is asking the Australians present in Cape Town to share the blame previously given solely to Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft. Khawaja also explained that much of his motivation stems from loyalty to his childhood friend Warner, who has also spoken out without implicating specific others.
Cricket Australia’s Stance and Reactions
Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg stated on Tuesday that he did not see any compelling reason to reopen the investigation into the ball-tampering saga, noting that Khawaja had not presented enough evidence to merit a new inquiry. The Cape Town files have never been made public, though former assistant coach David Saker called for their release in 2021. Khawaja’s book implicates a member of the backroom staff by claiming they encouraged Bancroft.
Views among former and current players remain entrenched. Darren Lehmann and Mitchell Starc have maintained their denials, while seamer Chadd Sayers has supported Khawaja and Warner. The core bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon continues to adhere to a 2021 joint statement asserting they did not know a foreign substance was brought onto the field.
According to former captain Michael Clarke, further inaction would leave supporters unable to trust what is real as Australian cricket remains stuck in historical scandal and unanswered questions.
