Khawaja says whole Australia squad knew of 2018 sandpaper plot

Usman Khawaja claims in his autobiography, Sabr, that the entire Australia touring party in South Africa in 2018 knew about the plan to tamper with the ball, and that sandpaper was already being used during the second Test at Port Elizabeth before the scandal broke in Cape Town, according to extracts reported by the Guardian.

"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja told Nine newspapers ahead of the book's release on Tuesday.

Cricket Australia's original investigation found only Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steve Smith had prior knowledge of the scheme after Bancroft was filmed handling an object on the ball during the third Test. Smith and Warner, as captain and vice-captain, were suspended for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban for using sandpaper on the ball.

Despite now saying the wider squad was aware, Khawaja remains comfortable that only those three were sanctioned, and he has dedicated the chapter of his book covering the episode to Bancroft, Warner and Smith.

"In an ideal world, I don't want to do this. I don't want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now," Khawaja said.

Khawaja traces the origin of the plot to discussions held in the Australia dressing room at St George's Park during the Port Elizabeth Test, which he says led to the "discovery of sandpaper as an effective agent". He writes that Smith "essentially threw his hands in the air and said he didn't want to know" at that point.

The four Australia bowlers who played in the Cape Town Test, including current Test captain Pat Cummins, have consistently denied any prior knowledge. In a 2021 joint statement, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon said they "did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field", a position the BBC reported remains their account.

Reaction has been swift and heated on social media, where, according to Yahoo Sports, fans have accused Australia of cheating and called for consequences, with some demanding that past results be wiped from the record and others questioning why Khawaja chose to wait eight years before going public.

Khawaja, 39, made his Test debut against England in 2011 and finished his career with 6,229 runs in 88 Tests.

Sabr is published on Tuesday, and further extracts are expected to keep the 2018 ball-tampering affair under fresh scrutiny as Cricket Australia and the players implicated respond to the claims.