Usman Khawaja defends Sandpapergate claims — Usman Khawaja has pushed back at suggestions that he betrayed former teammates, saying his account of the 2018 ball-tampering episode is an attempt to secure fairness for the three players who carried the punishment. The retired Australia batter made the remarks in a social media video after extracts from his forthcoming book revealed that the whole dressing room was aware of the plan during the tour of South Africa.
Khawaja says banned trio are the real victims
In the video, Khawaja stressed that he and the other members of that touring party were not the ones who suffered. He argued that Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft absorbed the fallout for the group, facing public condemnation and being labelled cheats. According to Khawaja, those three men deserve justice, and his intention was never to single anybody out.
He also explained that he had given his word to Warner, a friend since childhood, that he would be honest about what happened so Warner could share his own version of events. Khawaja said he felt no regret about that commitment and would make the same choice again.
Smith persuaded Khawaja to stay silent in 2018
Khawaja revealed that he had wanted to speak openly back in 2018 but was discouraged by Smith, who was captain at the time. In Khawaja’s account, Smith was determined to shoulder the blame himself and would not entertain any other approach. Khawaja said that was his first attempt to come forward.
A second opportunity arose in 2021, after Bancroft suggested in a newspaper interview that the bowlers must have known what was going on. Khawaja said he considered speaking out then but felt unable to do so once Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon released a joint statement denying any knowledge of the scheme. He said he was not prepared to fight with his teammates and was uncomfortable going against them. Khawaja added that he had always placed the team first, and that his current comments no longer carry any influence over the side because he speaks only for himself.
Bancroft focused on moving forward
Another claim in the book is that Bancroft volunteered to use sandpaper on the ball during the previous Test in Port Elizabeth, before the Cape Town match where he was caught on camera. Bancroft’s coach at Western Australia, Beau Casson, said the player is eager to leave the episode behind and let his cricket do the talking. Casson made the comments after Bancroft scored 32 for Western Australia against England in Perth, where the tourists were preparing for a one-day international series against Australia.
Cricket Australia has consistently maintained that only Smith, Warner and Bancroft were aware of the plot. The four bowlers named above issued their denial in 2021. Khawaja, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, said he is still looking for the team to accept responsibility collectively so that everyone can move on.
