Khawaja says Smith dissuaded him from going public after 2018 scandal

Usman Khawaja has defended the timing of his disclosures about Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he previously tried to make the team accept collective responsibility. In an Instagram explanation on Sunday, the former Test opener said he had considered speaking publicly both immediately after the scandal and again in 2021, according to Australian Associated Press reporting published by the Guardian.

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Khawaja said Steve Smith persuaded him not to approach the media after Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended. He described arguing with Smith about accepting the blame, but said the then-captain would not change his position. Khawaja also said he had promised Warner, his childhood friend, that he would set out his account in a book after retiring, believing the three sanctioned players had borne responsibility for others.

His account of a second effort centres on 2021. Khawaja said he discussed collective responsibility at length with then-coach Justin Langer and Todd Greenberg, who was leading the players' union at the time and is now Cricket Australia's chief executive. He said a subsequent public statement from Australia's bowlers denied knowledge of the incident. These descriptions of his earlier attempts to speak out are Khawaja's claims.

Khawaja said returning to the Australian side in 2022 left him uncomfortable about addressing the matter while still representing the team. He argued that delaying his memoir until after Australia's Test return to South Africa last month showed that financial gain was not his motive. The book, Sabr, is due to be released on Tuesday. His social-media response followed publication of extracts containing allegations of wider involvement.

Those extracts allege that sandpaper was used in the second Test at St George's Park, before the Cape Town incident, and that its use later extended onto the field. Khawaja also alleges that a coaching staff member encouraged Bancroft to intensify his work on the ball. He has criticised the original investigation and said he was not interviewed. The allegations remain disputed rather than established findings.

Cricket Australia has maintained its support for the 2018 investigation's conclusion that only Warner, Smith and Bancroft knew about the plan. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have denied knowing that a foreign substance was being taken onto the field. Khawaja's latest explanation addresses why he waited to publish his account, but does not resolve that disagreement over who knew what.