Chadd Sayers backs Khawaja’s version of Sandpapergate from Cape Town 2018

Chadd Sayers, Australia’s 12th man in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018, has publicly supported Usman Khawaja’s claim that members of the Australian team knew sandpaper was being used on the ball during that series. Sayers made the comments in an interview with SEN amid continuing dispute between Khawaja and Pat Cummins over the 2018 ball-tampering incident.

Khawaja, in his book Sabr, alleged that every single member of the Australian team knew sandpaper was being used and that only three players ultimately took the blame. Cummins responded to those allegations in a one-hour-long press conference, reiterating his 2021 position that the Australian bowling group did not know about the use of sandpaper and saying he was unaware of Khawaja’s claim that the team had discussed taking collective responsibility in the dressing room.

In the SEN interview Sayers said he was not taking sides and aimed to set out his own recollection. "I'm neutral in all this. I'm just trying to tell my side of the story and what I believe happened. There are no sides, they've both (Pat Cummins) been great to me throughout my time in the Test squad, so I'm not taking sides, I'm neutral in all this," Sayers said.

Sayers said he first became aware of the use of sandpaper during the Port Elizabeth Test and recalled discussions in the dressing room about producing reverse swing. "In Port Elizabeth, so as it's known now, it was used in two Test matches and there were discussions in changing rooms of how we were going to get the ball to reverse and what was going to be used," he said.

Asked whether he could recall whose idea it was, Sayers said he could not. "No, I don't recollect that, but obviously David Warner was not going to do it. Cam Bancroft stepped in and said he would," Sayers said, later adding "100 per cent." The original scandal resulted in bans for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.

On whether the bowling group knew, Sayers aligned with Khawaja's account and said the team would have bought into methods used to get the ball to reverse. "I would have thought as a team, when you're trying to get the ball to reverse, that everyone would buy in because if one little thing goes wrong in the field to the ball, it stops it from reversing straight away," he said. He also criticised Cummins's handling of Khawaja's allegations in the press conference: "I didn't like how he did go at Usman and got personal," Sayers said. "I probably get why, but I just don't think it needed to happen."

Sayers warned the disagreement between former and current players means the matter is unlikely to be resolved without a shared account. "I don't think it's ever going to settle unless everyone agrees to what happened," he said. "So, in that sense, probably is not going to settle. I know we've heard David Warner come out and say a few things as well." "Unless everyone settles on what actually happened, I think everyone's going to be curious for a long time," he added.

Sayers concluded that a definitive resolution will depend on the participants reaching a common understanding of events from the 2018 series, a point he said has not yet been achieved.