Usman Khawaja says "All of us were involved" in 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering

Former Australian batter Usman Khawaja said discussions about ball-tampering during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2018 involved the entire Australian team. "It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," he wrote.

Australia recently returned from their Test tour of South Africa, where they lost the three-match series 2-1, in what was their first Test tour of the country since the 2018 ball-tampering controversy that created a major storm in Australian cricket. The incident took place during the third Test in Cape Town in March 2018 and led to sanctions for key players. Cricket Australia later handed Steve Smith and Warner 12-month bans, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

Khawaja has now given his account of the events, saying knowledge of the ball-tampering discussions was not limited to the three players who were punished. He stated that conversations about using sandpaper on the ball had begun during the second Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha. The controversy became public during the next Test in Cape Town when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper on the ball.

Khawaja said he had urged his teammates to accept collective responsibility rather than leaving three players to carry the blame alone. "Take this as a team. We did this as a team. We knew what was going on, and we have to take it as a team," he recalled telling his teammates. He also questioned why Cricket Australia did not interview him during their investigation, saying, "I was sitting next to Cam Bancroft that whole Test match, and I didn’t get interviewed."

Cricket Australia has maintained their position on the 2018 investigation, saying that all the information presented to it was properly considered and that it remained comfortable with their findings. Khawaja defended Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, saying they had faced sustained criticism, and added, "I’ve seen Davey over the last eight years just get nailed bad over and over again." Questions about how much the rest of the team knew have continued over the years.

Khawaja's remarks appear in an excerpt published by the Sydney Morning Herald. He made the comments ahead of the release of his autobiography, Sabr.