Khawaja alleges Australia team shared knowledge of sandpaper use in 2018

Usman Khawaja has alleged that knowledge of Australia's use of sandpaper to alter the ball during the 2018 South Africa series extended across the team, challenging the position maintained by its four bowlers. BBC Sport reported the claims from extracts of his autobiography, Sabr, published in the Sydney Morning Herald. The bowlers have previously denied knowing about the plan.

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Khawaja's account also alleges that the tactic was used before the Cape Town Test in which the scandal became public. He said discussions about altering the ball began during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, now called Gqeberha, and described conversations in the dressing room at St George's Park as open. According to his account, those discussions led to the use of sandpaper.

The Cape Town incident resulted in bans for captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batter Cameron Bancroft. Khawaja said he had urged Australia to accept responsibility collectively, including in the dressing room after that Test. He also expressed surprise that Cricket Australia's investigation had not asked him to give evidence, and said he had expected the wider account to have emerged by now.

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint denial in 2021 after comments by Bancroft renewed scrutiny of the bowlers. They said they learned that a foreign substance had been taken onto the field only when images appeared on the Newlands big screen. Their statement also pointed to the umpires' inspection of the ball, saying it was not replaced because there was no sign of damage.

Cummins addressed the forthcoming book on 8 October, before Australia's recent Test series in South Africa, according to the BBC. He said Khawaja had alerted him to its publication without discussing much detail. Cummins said he had no concerns about possible revelations, referring to the investigations and questions answered at the time and saying the team had moved on.

Khawaja said he believed Smith, Warner and Bancroft deserved an acknowledgement of collective responsibility and that someone outside the three sanctioned players needed to speak. His account remains at odds with the bowlers' stated position: it is an allegation of wider knowledge, not an admission by those who have denied it.