Usman Khawaja denies blaming teammates for 2018 ball-tampering scandal

Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has addressed the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, stating he has not "thrown anyone under the bus" following excerpts from his upcoming autobiography. The incident, known as Sandpapergate, involved players scuffing the ball with sandpaper during a Test match in Cape Town, leading to suspensions for captain Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.

In a series of videos posted to Instagram on Sunday, 39-year-old Khawaja claimed the responsibility for the plot should have been shared by the entire team rather than just the three sanctioned players. Khawaja, who retired from international cricket in January after playing 88 Tests and scoring 6,229 runs, stated, "These three guys took the blame for all of us, and they're the victims."

Khawaja explained that he attempted to speak out in 2018 but was persuaded against it by Smith. He also considered commenting in 2021 after bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement denying knowledge of the foreign substance. Khawaja noted that he consulted with then-coach Justin Langer before deciding to remain silent, adding, "Call me a chicken or whatever you want, I didn't know how to do it because I was still on the team."

Addressing the timing of his revelations, Khawaja denied his claims were a marketing ploy. He met with Cummins in October to discuss the book's contents before Australia's recent 2-1 series loss in South Africa. Meanwhile, former coach Darren Lehmann rejected Khawaja's assertion that the whole team was aware, telling ABC, "I don't think everyone would have known."

Cricket Australia stated they have no plans to reopen the investigation into the 2018 events. The governing body remarked, "All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process."