Usman Khawaja has made public claims that all members of the Australia cricket team touring South Africa in 2018 possessed knowledge of a plot to tamper with the ball during Test matches against the host nation. According to Khawaja, the tampering scheme involved the use of sandpaper, which was employed during the second Test at Port Elizabeth before the plan became public during the third Test at Cape Town. Khawaja’s statements come ahead of the release of his autobiography, which includes a chapter dedicated to the ball-tampering incident.
The original Cricket Australia investigation into the matter determined that only three individuals—Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, and Steve Smith—had prior knowledge of the tampering plot. Bancroft, who was caught handling sandpaper on camera, received a nine-month suspension. Warner and Smith, serving as vice-captain and captain respectively, each received 12-month bans. Khawaja now asserts that this allocation of responsibility did not reflect the broader knowledge of the scheme within the squad and that the team should have collectively acknowledged its involvement.
Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann disputed Khawaja’s characterization, stating he did not believe all touring party members would have been aware of the specific tampering methods employed. Lehmann acknowledged that ball tampering has existed in cricket for an extended period but maintained uncertainty about the extent to which individual players would have possessed detailed knowledge. He stepped down from his coaching position following the conclusion of the South African tour.
Cricket Australia reiterated its position that the integrity investigation conducted at the time was thorough and that the organization remains satisfied with its findings. The governing body noted that opportunities have existed for eight years for additional information to be presented. Several fast bowlers, including Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, previously released a joint statement asserting they did not learn of the foreign substance being brought onto the field until images appeared on stadium screens during the third Test.
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