Whole Australia team knew of sandpaper use – Khawaja

Usman 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. Usman Khawaja made his Test debut for Australia against England in 2011 Usman Khawaja has claimed 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. In extracts of his autobiography – Sabr – published in the Sydney Morning Herald,, external the former opening batter said Australia had also used the ball-tampering tactic in the Test before the infamous match in Cape Town. The incident – nicknamed 'sandpapergate' – was widely condemned and led to bans for captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and fellow batter Cameron Bancroft.

"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja, 39, told the Sydney Morning Herald. The four Australia bowlers who played in that match, including current Test captain Pat Cummins, have consistently denied they had any prior knowledge of the plan. In 2021, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement saying they "did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field". Khawaja, who scored 6,229 runs in 88 Tests, said