Usman Khawaja has stated that every member of the Australian cricket team was aware of the plan to use sandpaper to alter the ball during the 2018 Cape Town Test, a claim that directly challenges the established narrative surrounding the scandal. Khawaja, who retired from Test cricket this year, asserted in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald that "it was all of us." He added that most players would likely feel a sense of relief that the truth is emerging.
These revelations are detailed in Khawaja's upcoming autobiography, "Sabr." His account directly contradicts the joint statement issued in 2021 by bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, who insisted they had no knowledge of the scheme. This statement followed comments by Cameron Bancroft, who had suggested the bowlers were aware. Khawaja's book reportedly states that discussions about tampering with the ball first occurred during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, leading to the "discovery of sandpaper as an effective agent."
Khawaja suggested that Steve Smith, then captain, indicated he did not want to be involved in the specifics of the plan. Khawaja also revealed that he urged the team to accept collective responsibility after the cheating was exposed. "I just didn't think it was going to come down to this," he told the SMH. "But the longer it's gone on for, and right from the very start, I've been on the train of collectively taking it."
He expressed surprise that he was never interviewed by Cricket Australia during their investigation into the incident. Khawaja believes this was because he was prepared to speak about the team's collective involvement. "I was sitting next to Cam Bancroft that whole Test match, and I didn’t get interviewed," he said. "I thoroughly feel that I didn’t get interviewed because they knew that I wanted to take it as a team, because they knew I was ready to tell the truth if I was interviewed."
In 2018, the ball-tampering incident led to bans for Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft. The scandal has continued to cast a shadow over Australian cricket, and Khawaja's claims are expected to reignite debate and scrutiny.
