Chris Broad criticises Darren Lehmann over 2018 ball‑tampering after Khawaja revelations

Former England cricketer and match referee Chris Broad has publicly attacked former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann over the 2018 ball‑tampering scandal that erupted during the third Test in Cape Town, speaking on Track Radio as quoted by Fox Sports on Nov. 11, 2026. Broad said Lehmann "surely knew all about it" and argued the coach "got away lightly" after leaving his role.

The criticism follows renewed scrutiny triggered by revelations in Usman Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr, in which the former Australia batter claims awareness of the episode extended beyond the three players who were sanctioned. Khawaja asserts that sandpaper was also used during the second Test in Gqeberha, that several members of the touring party were not interviewed during Cricket Australia's investigation, and that there were earlier attempts to alter the ball during the 2017-18 home Ashes by lifting the quarter‑seam to produce reverse swing; Australia won the third Test in Perth by an innings during that series. Lehmann resigned as head coach on March 29, 2018, after Cameron Bancroft was filmed attempting to alter the ball; then captain Steve Smith and vice‑captain David Warner were implicated.

Broad questioned Lehmann's role during the South Africa tour and said he could not accept Lehmann's claim of ignorance. "And if he did not, he should not have been the coach at the time. I think he has got away lightly OK, he left his job a few months later, but he did not get any sanctions," Broad said on Track Radio, as quoted by Fox Sports.

Lehmann had stated at the time of his resignation that "I'm ultimately responsible for the culture of the team," while also maintaining he had no prior knowledge of the players' actions. Cricket Australia subsequently held that Lehmann was not involved in the plot; Smith and Warner received 12‑month bans from competitive cricket and Bancroft was suspended for nine months, while Lehmann faced no formal sanction.

Broad also invoked an earlier episode between Lehmann and his son, former England fast bowler Stuart Broad, when explaining his anger. Stuart had refused to walk after edging a delivery in the 2013 Ashes, and Lehmann had warned that Australia would make the England pacer "cry" when the teams toured Down Under; Broad said, "And here he is, the coach of the Australian cricket team that brought sandpaper out onto the field of play and denied any knowledge of this happening. I am very angry at Darren Lehmann in this respect."

Lehmann has disputed Khawaja's suggestion that everyone in the team knew about the use of sandpaper, saying he could only speak about what he personally knew. Broad's public comments found an unexpected echo from former Australia opener David Warner, who responded on X: "I could not agree more, and that's hard for me to say!"

Nearly nine years after the Cape Town Test, the debate has broadened beyond Smith, Warner and Bancroft to questions about the wider team environment and the accountability of support staff and leaders; with Khawaja challenging the original investigation and Broad questioning Lehmann's role, Sandpapergate continues to cast a shadow over Australian cricket.