Warner backs Khawaja's ball-tampering account and criticises Australia inquiry

David Warner has backed Usman Khawaja's account of Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandal and criticised Cricket Australia's investigation, BBC Sport reported. In a video posted on Instagram, the former Australia opener endorsed his former team-mate's version of events while questioning why Khawaja had not been interviewed during the inquiry into the Cape Town Test.

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Khawaja said last week that every member of the Australia team knew sandpaper was being used to change the condition of the ball. That allegation remains disputed: the team's bowlers have repeatedly denied knowing about the plan. Warner described Khawaja's account as accurate and expressed support for his decision to speak publicly, but Cricket Australia has not announced that it will reopen the investigation.

The original incident occurred during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in 2018. Warner and then-captain Steve Smith each received a one-year ban, while Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months. The renewed public discussion concerns who else knew about the tampering and whether the process that led to those sanctions gathered evidence from everyone who could have contributed.

According to the BBC's report, Khawaja said he had expected a fuller account to emerge over the intervening eight years and was surprised he had not been asked to give evidence. Warner said Khawaja had recorded events from the day of the incident and had been sitting beside Bancroft. He argued that leaving Khawaja out of the interviews undermined the investigation's thoroughness and called for accountability from those responsible for conducting it.

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement in 2021 denying knowledge that a foreign substance had been brought onto the field. All four remain part of Australia's Test side, with Cummins having held the captaincy since 2021. Their denial stands in contrast to Khawaja's allegation, which Warner has now publicly supported.

Cricket Australia's response to Khawaja said relevant information could still be submitted and that material received so far had been properly considered. The governing body maintained its confidence in the integrity process's findings. Warner, who retired from international cricket in 2024, said he had delayed responding publicly so he could first explain the incident to his daughters.