Usman Khawaja says 2018 ball-tampering talk was more widespread than Cricket Australia found

Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja said in an excerpt of his autobiography published on November 7, 2026, that discussions about ball‑tampering during Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa — including the March 2018 Cape Town Test — were more widespread within the squad than Cricket Australia’s investigation concluded. The claims appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, prompting a response from Cricket Australia defending its original inquiry.

The episode, dubbed "Sandpapergate," centred on the use of sandpaper to scuff the ball in the March 2018 Cape Town Test and prompted a major integrity crisis for Cricket Australia. The governing body’s 2018 probe concluded that prior knowledge of the plan was confined to Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, and Cricket Australia imposed playing bans and other penalties on those three players. Head coach Darren Lehmann was cleared of direct involvement by the inquiry but resigned soon after the series. South Africa won the 2018 four‑match Test series 3-1.

Khawaja, a former top‑order batsman who played 88 Tests for Australia, is quoted in the book saying there were "open, lighthearted discussions" during the South Africa series about ways to scuff the ball, including using sandpaper, and that talk of tampering "was not confined to batters, bowlers or staff but extended throughout the team." He is further quoted saying, "It was all of us," according to the newspaper excerpt. Khawaja was cleared of wrongdoing in the original probe and announced his retirement in January.

Cricket Australia issued a statement on Saturday defending the 2018 investigation and its outcomes, saying: "All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process." The statement reiterated that the integrity process reached conclusions based on material before it at the time.

The governing body also addressed the possibility of new information being brought forward, and Australia’s current captain, Pat Cummins, dismissed suggestions this month that Khawaja’s autobiography could prompt further fallout when published. Australia’s Test team returned to South Africa last month for the first time since 2018 and lost the three‑match series 2-1.

Cricket Australia added: "There has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case." The governing body said the line about ongoing opportunities to provide information was current as of its Saturday statement.