Khawaja claims entire Australia team knew of 2018 ball-tampering

Summarised from 5 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 6 Nov, 22:22 · Archive

Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has claimed the entire Australian dressing room knew about the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in 2018.

Usman Khawaja, who retired from Test cricket after Australia's Ashes series last winter, has claimed the entire Australian dressing room knew about the sandpaper ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in 2018. Writing in his autobiography Sabr, to be published next week, Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.'

The official account has held that only captain Steve Smith, deputy David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were aware of the plot to use sandpaper on the ball during the third Test against South Africa. Smith and Warner received one-year bans; Bancroft, a junior player, received a nine-month ban.

Khawaja's claims directly contradict a joint statement issued in 2021 by the bowling unit – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon – insisting they had no idea about the ball-tampering. That statement followed an interview in which Bancroft, asked if the bowlers knew, replied: 'Uh… yeah, look, I think, yeah, I think it's probably self-explanatory.'

According to Khawaja's account, the ball-tampering tactics were first discussed during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, where discussions led to the 'discovery of sandpaper as an effective agent'. Khawaja added: 'At the end of the day, I think it's the right thing to do, particularly for those three guys. And I think most of the guys in the team, at some level, will be relieved that we can finally move on.' He also said he did not want to be the one revealing the truth but believed it should have emerged by now.

The revelations come as Australia prepares for the Ashes series in England this summer. Cummins is now Australia's Test captain.

How it is being reported

• Usman Khawaja reveals true extent of Australia’s sandpaper scandal: ‘It was all of us’Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended after the ball-tampering incident in South Africa in 2018Independent Sport · 6 Nov, 22:10
• Whole Australia team knew of sandpaper use - KhawajaUsman Khawaja claims the entire Australia team knew about the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball in the final Test of their 2018 series with South Africa.BBC News · 6 Nov, 22:06
• Now go after the rest of the cheating Aussies: Usman Khawaja's explosive claims bring more shame onto a team who were cowardly as well as complicit - they must surely be punished and captain Pat Cummins cannot escape, writes OLIVER HOLTOLIVER HOLT: Usman Khawaja is adamant about it. 'It was all of us,' he writes in his soon-to-be-published autobiography. 'Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us…'Daily Mail Sport · 6 Nov, 22:06
• It was all of us – Usman Khawaja lifts lid on Australia sandpaper scandalSteve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended after the ball-tampering incident in 2018.Independent Sport · 6 Nov, 21:55
• Khawaja: Entire Australia team knew about ball-tampering scandalFormer Australia opener Usman Khawaja has claimed that the side's entire dressing room knew about the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in 2018.Sky Sports · 6 Nov, 21:10
• 'We were ALL in on it': Aussie cricket star Usman Khawaja admits EVERY player knew about sandpaper cheating plan as he blows apart claim from senior stars in stunning new revelationLAWRENCE BOOTH: Usman Khawaja has claimed that the entire Australian dressing-room knew about the sandpaper scandal at Cape Town in 2018.Daily Mail Sport · 6 Nov, 20:15
• Khawaja claims all players knew about Sandpapergate ball tamperingUsman Khawaja claims all staff and players knew that the Australian team was using sandpaper to tamper with the ball during the 2018 tour of South Africa.ABC News Australia · 6 Nov, 18:38

In this story: Usman Khawaja · Steve Smith · David Warner · Cameron Bancroft · Pat Cummins · Australia · South Africa · Cape Town

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