Usman Khawaja Denies Betraying Teammates Over Sandpapergate Scandal

Usman Khawaja has refuted claims that he has "thrown anyone under the bus" following the release of an excerpt from his autobiography. The excerpt, published on October 7, 2026, details Khawaja's desire to "come clean" about the ball-tampering incident that occurred during Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa. The scandal, known as Sandpapergate, involved the Australian team scuffing the ball with sandpaper during a Test match in Cape Town, leading to a significant integrity crisis for Cricket Australia.

Captain Steve Smith, batsmen David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, who was found with the sandpaper, received bans for their involvement. In a video shared on Instagram, Khawaja, who retired from international cricket in January, stated his intention to be transparent about the event since 2018. He emphasized that the three banned players "took the blame for all of us, and they’re the victims." Khawaja mentioned he had spoken with Smith, Warner, and Bancroft, assuring Warner that he would share his perspective.

"These three guys deserve justice, and I haven’t pointed fingers at anyone," Khawaja stated, expressing a continued search for a collective team responsibility to allow everyone to move forward. He defended the timing of his revelations, denying it was a marketing tactic for his book. Khawaja explained that he initially intended to speak out in 2018 after the suspensions but was persuaded not to by Steve Smith, who "wanted to take the blame." Khawaja also considered speaking up in 2021 when bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon publicly denied knowledge of the ball-tampering, but decided against it after discussions with then-coach Justin Langer.

Khawaja admitted to feeling uncomfortable speaking out while still part of the Australian team from 2022, citing a desire to prioritize the team. He noted that he is no longer in that position. Australia's recent Test series in South Africa, their first since 2018, was partly overshadowed by discussions of the scandal and the impending release of Khawaja's book, with the hosts winning the series 2-1.