Usman Khawaja has claimed in his autobiography that the Australian cricket team tampered with the ball during the 2017-18 Ashes series, before the infamous 'Sandpapergate' incident. The revelations suggest that ball doctoring was a practice within the team during their 4-0 victory over England.
According to Khawaja, the team had found ways to make the ball reverse swing, even when conditions were not conducive. He wrote that by "rais[ing] the flaps up on the quarter seam on that ball, it was almost like it had a rudder on it and it'd start reverse swinging." He added that "we - and I say 'we', because we were a team, whether you did the deed or not - had worked out" this method.
This admission comes from the same autobiography that detailed how the entire Australian team was aware of the ball-tampering plot during the "Sandpapergate" scandal in South Africa eight years ago. The series in question, which England lost 4-0, was marred by Cameron Bancroft being caught using sandpaper to alter the ball's condition to aid swing.
Suspicion had already been raised during the third Test in Perth, where the Australian attack managed to extract significant reverse swing on the final day, even after a heavy rain delay. This helped them dismiss England's side. Former England captain Alastair Cook commented at the time that the team had wondered how Australia had achieved such reverse swing under those conditions, noting the difference compared to their own efforts in managing the ball.
Under Law 41.3 of the Laws of Cricket, players are prohibited from artificially altering the condition of the match ball. Actions such as scratching or prising up the quarter seam with fingernails, thumbs, or foreign objects are illegal and subject to penalties from match officials. Raising the quarter seam can create a flap of leather on the rough side of the ball, altering airflow and promoting unnatural reverse swing.