Khawaja claims whole Australian squad knew of 2018 ball tampering

The Sandpapergate saga has resurfaced eight years after Australia’s tour of South Africa was overshadowed by the Newlands ball-tampering scandal. According to IOL, former Australian opener Usman Khawaja has made fresh claims in his upcoming autobiography, Sabr.

What Khawaja is saying

Khawaja says everyone in the Australian touring group was aware of the plan to tamper with the ball, and that sandpaper had already been used in the previous Test in Gqeberha. He told Australian media: “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”

He later followed up with a video on Instagram, released in two parts, saying he was not trying to blame others. “I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus,” he said. He argued that the three players who were punished carried the blame on behalf of the whole team, and that the squad should accept collective responsibility.

Khawaja also said that after the other players received their sanctions, he told Steve Smith he intended to go to the media and admit the truth. According to Khawaja, Smith persuaded him against it because he wanted to take the blame himself.

He further claims that Cameron Bancroft offered to try sandpaper in the earlier match, after a dressing-room discussion about how it could help the ball reverse swing. Khawaja says nobody interviewed him during the official inquiry.

Cricket Australia’s position

The claims run against the findings of the governing body’s inquiry at the time, which held that only Smith, David Warner and Bancroft had known about the scheme. IOL reports that Cricket Australia still stands by those findings.

Paine’s 2018 press conference

IOL’s Zaahier Adams was at Newlands in 2018 when Tim Paine, newly installed as interim captain, faced the media. Australia had just lost to the Proteas by 322 runs, losing their last ten wickets for 50 runs. Paine described the previous 24 hours as “horrible” and apologised to Australian supporters who had travelled to South Africa.

In his own book, The Price Paid, Paine wrote about the mood in the dressing room after the scandal. He said the players were stunned when Bancroft was caught, but also accepted that the team should have shared more of the responsibility. “Everyone was a part of it to some degree,” he wrote.

IOL notes an important distinction: Paine did not say the entire team knew about the plan. He did concede that the group could have done more to support Smith, Warner and Bancroft.

What happens next

For now, Khawaja’s account is his own claim, and the official position has not changed. With his book still to be published, the debate over who knew what at Newlands looks set to continue.

This story is based on reporting by IOL.