Sydney, November 8,2026: Former Australian batter Usman Khawaja has defended his decision to speak publicly about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, insisting he did not “throw anyone under the bus” by claiming the entire Australian team was aware of the infamous ‘Sandpapergate’ plot.
Khawaja reignited the controversy on Saturday in Cape Town ahead of the release of his autobiography this week, which includes a chapter dedicated to the scandal.
He alleged that responsibility for the ball-tampering incident extended beyond Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, who were subsequently banned.
“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” Khawaja said.
He also claimed that Australia had employed the tactic during the preceding Test at Port Elizabeth.
However, Darren Lehmann, who was head coach at the time, denied that there was widespread knowledge of the plan, while Cricket Australia said it remained “comfortable” with the findings of its original investigation.
The investigation had concluded that only Smith, Warner and Bancroft knew about the ball-tampering plan.
In a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday, Khawaja clarified his comments, saying he meant the team should collectively accept responsibility for what had happened.
“When I mentioned it was all of us, that’s implying that whether we like it or not, we’re all responsible for what happened together as a team,” he wrote.
“We need to take that collectively. That is all.”
Rejecting suggestions that he had blamed individuals, Khawaja said the three players who were punished had effectively taken responsibility on behalf of the wider team.
“The guys that are currently in the team right now and the other people that were there on the South African tour, including me, we’re not the victims.
“These three guys (Smith, Warner and Bancroft) took the blame for all of us.
“They’re the victims … people telling them that they’re cheats, getting nailed by the crowd. Public humiliation,” he added.
Khawaja, who retired this year after playing 88 Tests, also defended the eight-year delay in making his claims public, rejecting suggestions that the timing was intended to promote his autobiography.
He said he had wanted to speak out in 2018 after Smith, Warner and Bancroft were suspended but was persuaded not to do so by Smith.
“But Smudge (Smith) being the man and leader he was, he talked me out of it.
“He wanted to take the blame. I argued with him, but he was having none of it. That’s the first time I tried to come out,” Khawaja said.
He added that he had another opportunity to address the issue in 2021, when bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon publicly denied knowing about the ball-tampering.
However, after extensive discussions with then-head coach Justin Langer, he decided against speaking publicly.
The 39-year-old said he continued to feel uncomfortable discussing the matter after returning to the Australian team in 2022.
“Call me a chicken or whatever you want. I didn’t know how to do it because I was still in the team,” he said.
“I was always conscious of putting my team first, but I’m not in that team anymore.”
