Warner backs Khawaja, calls Cricket Australia probe ‘rushed and botched’

David Warner publicly supported Usman Khawaja’s account of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering affair and described Cricket Australia’s investigation as “rushed and botched” in a video posted from Brisbane on Monday, November 9, 2026. Warner’s intervention followed the publication of excerpts from Khawaja’s soon-to-be-released book that suggested the three suspended players were made scapegoats.

The episode in question occurred during a Test in Cape Town in 2018 when the host broadcaster filmed Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper on the ball. The incident dominated the series and international headlines and led to lengthy suspensions: Bancroft was suspended by Cricket Australia for nine months, while Steve Smith and David Warner—then captain and vice-captain—were suspended from all cricket for a year. On returning home from South Africa the three made emotional apologies and subsequently spoke little publicly about the investigation; Smith and Warner later returned to the Australian team in 2019.

In the Instagram video Warner opened his support with a direct endorsement, saying: "It's 100% accurate what you've said." He added: "It's been eight years since I spoke on this topic. Uzzy, I throw my full support behind you. I thank you for what you've done." Warner also said: "Now everyone knows the truth. People wanted to know it. You've come out and said it."

Alongside the video Warner posted a written message that included: "some things are bigger than cricket." He wrote: "This isn't about reopening old wounds. It's about acknowledging that some wounds never properly healed." Warner concluded the passage by writing: "I stand with my brother Usman Khawaja. Speaking your truth takes courage, especially when people would rather you stay silent. Time passing doesn't replace accountability, and asking questions shouldn't be mistaken for holding grudges."

The excerpts of Khawaja’s soon-to-be-released book, published days earlier, implied the three players suspended in the Cape Town incident were scapegoats for the team. Khawaja, who was playing in the Test match, said he'd wanted the entire team to take responsibility but was advised against it; he retired from international cricket in January and said he'd promised Warner, his childhood friend, that "I would tell the truth."

Khawaja's recounting has provoked a mixed response in Australia, with some people supporting his decision to publish his version of events and others critical of the timing. Warner, who retired from cricket's traditional format in 2024 with 112 Test caps, said he decided to speak after recent conversations with his young daughters and urged a shift in focus: "Perhaps it's time people stop scrutinizing the person asking for accountability, and start asking those responsible for the investigation to provide it."

For eight years Cricket Australia, team management and other players had rejected claims that everyone was involved in a plot to scuff the ball to alter its swing during the Cape Town Test. The current public exchange has been prompted by the excerpts from Khawaja’s soon-to-be-released book, which contains his fuller account of the episode.