Khawaja says he has 'not thrown anyone under the bus' over 2018 sandpaper episode
Usman Khawaja said on Sunday in videos posted on Instagram that he has "not thrown anyone under the bus" after revelations in his autobiography Sabr that the Australia team collectively knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town in 2018. He made similar claims in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
In Sabr and the Sydney Morning Herald interview Khawaja argued the entire Australia team should take responsibility for the plot to use sandpaper in that third Test. At the time, only captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft were punished. Other players involved in the Cape Town controversy have repeatedly denied involvement or knowledge of the plot. Four bowlers who played for Australia in that Test — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon — remain part of the team, and Cummins has been Test captain since 2021. In 2021 the quartet released a joint statement saying they "did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field".
Speaking in the Instagram videos to clarify his earlier comments, Khawaja said: "You would have seen when I mentioned it was all of us, that's implying that whether we like it or not, we are all responsible for what happened together. As a team, we need to take that collectively. That is all." He added: "But now that everyone's talking, am I going to deny that everyone knew? Nah, I won't deny that, either. But I never speak on behalf of anyone else in my book, contrary to what the headlines in clickbait media would have you think."
Khawaja continued in the videos: "I waited till the [South Africa] series was over. And you know what? I haven't thrown anyone under the bus," and said: "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 took the blame for all of us, and they're the victims. Yes, it was tough for everyone, including me. I had sleepless nights, too." He also defended why he did not speak publicly in the four years after the incident, saying: "You ask why didn't I say anything in those four years after that while I was still playing? You know what? I never wanted to be the first guy to chat about this," and: "Call me a chicken or whatever you want, I didn't know how to do it because I was still on the team. How was I ever supposed to bring this up when I knew some of my team-mates didn't want to talk about it?"
In October it was revealed Khawaja had met with Pat Cummins to discuss the contents of the upcoming autobiography; that meeting took place before Australia's recent Test series in South Africa, which the Proteas won 2-1. Khawaja retired from international cricket in January, having scored 6,229 runs in 88 Tests for Australia.
Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach who resigned in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, denied Khawaja's claims when he told ABC: "I don't think everyone would have known." Cricket Australia has not indicated a desire to re-open the investigation into the events at Newlands in 2018 and issued a statement saying: "There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month's series in South Africa. During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case. All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process."
