Sandpapergate: Usman Khawaja claims whole Australia team knew about use of sandpaper to tamper with ball against South Africa
Khawaja’s account of the plan
Khawaja says talk of tampering with the ball began during the second Test against South Africa. He also says Smith indicated he did not want to know about it.
He said that approach did not happen and that three players were left to face the consequences. Khawaja added that those players would not be the first to speak because their accounts could be dismissed as hearsay.
Bans and disputed knowledge
The 2018 incident, known as sandpapergate, drew widespread condemnation. Captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batter Cameron Bancroft were banned. Australia’s four bowlers in the match—Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon—have repeatedly denied knowing about the plan beforehand. Cummins is now Australia’s Test captain.
There has never been an explanation of how the bowlers did not notice a change in the ball’s condition. In a statement, the four said umpires Nigel Llong and Richard Illingworth inspected the ball after televised images emerged and did not replace it, saying there was no visible damage.
Cummins responds to Khawaja
Before Australia’s recent Test series in South Africa, which the Proteas won 2-1, Cummins said Khawaja had told him he was writing a book. Cummins said Khawaja gave him a heads-up but did not discuss much detail.
Khawaja said he did not want to be the person to speak publicly about the matter, but felt the three punished players needed someone else to speak. Smith, Warner and Bancroft were all batters, while the bowlers have maintained they had no prior knowledge.
Key points
- Khawaja claims the whole Australia team knew about the sandpaper plan in the 2018 South Africa series.
- He says discussions began during the second Test and that he advocated shared responsibility.
- Smith, Warner and Bancroft were banned over the incident.
- Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon have denied prior knowledge of the plan.