Usman Khawaja Denies Throwing Teammates Under the Bus Over 2018 Sandpaper Scandal

Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has denied accusations that he threw anyone under the bus through revelations in his new autobiography, titled Sabr, regarding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. The controversy, widely known as Sandpapergate, erupted during the March 2018 Test in Cape Town when sandpaper was used to alter the condition of the match ball, prompting a major integrity crisis for Cricket Australia.

At the time of the incident, the only players formally punished by authorities were captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and opening batsman Cameron Bancroft, who was caught with the sandpaper in his pocket. In his book and interviews with the Sydney Morning Herald, Khawaja asserted that the entire team should take collective responsibility for the plot. In videos posted to Instagram on Sunday, Khawaja clarified that his comments meant the squad must take responsibility together, whether they like it or not.

Khawaja stated that the three suspended players served as victims who took the blame for the broader group. He added that he had spoken with Smith, Warner, and Bancroft prior to publication, promising Warner he would share his perspective. Khawaja also rejected suggestions that waiting until now to make the claims was a marketing strategy to boost book sales, maintaining that he had wanted to speak out in 2018 but was talked out of it by Smith.

Other participants from the Cape Town Test have previously disputed claims of universal awareness. In 2021, a joint statement issued by four bowlers from that match—Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon—maintained that they did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field. Cummins has served as Australia's Test captain since 2021, and records show he met with Khawaja in October to discuss the autobiography's contents.

Additional skepticism came from Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach who resigned following the 2018 scandal. Lehmann told ABC on Saturday that he did not believe everyone in the team would have known about the plot. Khawaja, who concluded his international career with 6,229 runs across 88 Tests before retiring in January, reiterated that his intention was for the team to share the blame collectively so all involved can move forward.