Usman Khawaja's Sabr: 'It was all of us' on 2018 sandpaper scandal
By Tanishq BhattEntertainment Writer, Peepals Global
File photo: www.davidmolloyphotography.com (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons
Usman Khawaja says in his book Sabr that the whole Australian team knew of the 2018 sandpaper plan; Cricket Australia stands by its findings, 7 November 2026.
What Happened
Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has said that the whole Australian Test team knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball during the 2018 tour of South Africa, not just the three players who were punished. "It was all of us," he says in excerpts from his autobiography, Sabr, published in interviews on Saturday, 7 November 2026. Khawaja also says the plan was first discussed during the second Test in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, before the Cape Town Test where the scandal broke. Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has disputed the claim, and Cricket Australia said it remains comfortable with the findings of its inquiry at the time.
Key Facts
- Who: Usman Khawaja, who played for Australia in the 2018 series in South Africa.
- Where: excerpts from his autobiography, Sabr, released through interviews on Saturday, 7 November 2026.
- The claim: the whole team knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball; in his words, "It was all of us."
- When it began, he says: discussions started in the second Test at Port Elizabeth, before the Cape Town Test.
- The 2018 inquiry: Cricket Australia found that only Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge, and Smith and Warner received bans.
- Khawaja's complaint: he was not interviewed, saying he sat next to Bancroft for the whole Test match.
- Responses: Lehmann said he did not think everyone would have known; Cricket Australia said it was comfortable with "the findings of our integrity process conducted at the time".
Why It Matters
The Cape Town ball-tampering affair of 2018 is one of the most damaging episodes in Australian cricket. The scandal broke during the Cape Town Test and led to bans for the captain and vice-captain. Cricket Australia's own investigation drew a tight line around three players. That finding has been questioned before, but rarely by someone who was in the dressing room. Khawaja's account, written by a senior player from inside the squad, challenges that line directly.
His most pointed criticism is about the inquiry itself. He says he was sitting next to Bancroft for the whole match and was never asked what he knew. "I was sitting next to Cam Bancroft that whole Test match, and I didn't get interviewed," he said. If accurate, that suggests the investigation spoke to fewer people than many fans assumed, which is why his book is likely to reopen the debate about how thoroughly it was done.
Khawaja's account also touches the then captain. In the excerpts, he writes that when the subject came up, Smith effectively threw up his hands and said he did not want to know. That is Khawaja's description; Smith had not publicly responded to it at the time of writing, and neither had Warner or Bancroft.
The pushback came quickly. Lehmann, the coach at the time, said he did not think everyone would have known about the sandpaper, while also saying that, in his view, teams around the world had been tampering with the ball up to that point. Michael Vaughan mocked the revelation as something many had long suspected. Cricket Australia gave no sign that it would reopen the matter.
Peepals timeline: 2018, during Australia's Test tour of South Africa, Khawaja says ball-tampering plans were first discussed in the second Test at Port Elizabeth. At the following Test in Cape Town, the ball-tampering scandal breaks. Cricket Australia's inquiry finds that Smith, Warner and Bancroft alone had prior knowledge, and Smith and Warner are banned. Saturday, 7 November 2026, Khawaja's autobiography Sabr is excerpted with his claim that the whole team knew, and Lehmann and Cricket Australia respond the same day.
| Who | What they said |
|---|---|
| Usman Khawaja | The whole team knew: "It was all of us" |
| Darren Lehmann | Does not think everyone would have known |
| Cricket Australia | Comfortable with the findings of its 2018 integrity process |
| Michael Vaughan | Mocked the claim as long suspected |
Impact
Short-term: The book will put pressure on Cricket Australia and on players from that squad to say what they knew. Expect more interviews, denials and comment in the days ahead.
Long-term: A formal reopening seems unlikely given Cricket Australia's statement, but the account will shape how the 2018 affair is remembered, and could add to calls for independent investigations in future integrity cases in the sport.
Who is affected: Members of the 2018 Australian Test squad, Cricket Australia and its integrity unit, and fans who followed the scandal, including in India, where Australian cricket draws a large following.
Key Takeaway
Usman Khawaja says in his autobiography Sabr that the whole Australian team knew of the 2018 sandpaper plan, a claim Darren Lehmann disputes and Cricket Australia has not acted on.
Questions and Answers
What did Usman Khawaja say about the sandpaper scandal?
In his autobiography Sabr, excerpted on 7 November 2026, Khawaja says the whole Australian team knew about the use of sandpaper on the ball in South Africa in 2018, and that discussions began at the earlier Port Elizabeth Test. "It was all of us," he says.
How has Cricket Australia responded to Khawaja's claim?
Cricket Australia said it remains comfortable with the findings of its integrity process conducted at the time, which found only Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge.
Did Darren Lehmann agree with Khawaja?
No. Lehmann, Australia's coach in 2018, said he did not think everyone would have known about the sandpaper, though he said teams around the world had been ball tampering up to then.
Why does Khawaja criticise the 2018 inquiry?
He says he sat next to Bancroft for the whole Test match yet was never interviewed by the investigators.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Tanishq Bhatt, Entertainment WriterCovers Entertainment and more for Peepals Global. All stories by Tanishq Bhatt
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Tanishq Bhatt is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
