‘Sandpapergate’ Resurfaces After Usman Khawaja’s Explosive Book Claims
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has announced an emergency press conference for Friday morning to address the explosive allegations made by former teammate Usman Khawaja regarding the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Khawaja’s new autobiography, Sabr, has dragged the dark chapter of Australian cricket back into the headlines nearly eight years after it first stunned the sporting world. In the book, Khawaja claims that the entire Australian dressing room was aware of the ball-tampering scheme orchestrated during the Cape Town Test—a revelation that directly challenges the narrative maintained by the team’s senior leadership and bowling attack for years.
While Cummins has been rested for Australia’s upcoming white-ball series against England—which kicks off with the first ODI in Perth on Friday—he has chosen to confront the media storm head-on. The Australian skipper confirmed he will hold a press briefing at Cricket Central in Sydney at 9:30 am on Friday morning, immediately after completing his morning training session ahead of the New South Wales Blues’ Sheffield Shield match.
"I’m training at Cricket Central tomorrow morning before the Blues play in the Shield match," Cummins posted on social media platform X on Thursday. "Happy to speak with any and all media about the events of this week at 9.30 am. I’ve taken some time to try and better understand the long list and full extent of Uzzy’s allegations so I can respond properly."
The scandal originally erupted in March 2018 during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, when television cameras caught opening batsman Cameron Bancroft using a piece of sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball. In the immediate aftermath, an internal investigation led to heavy sanctions. Bancroft, along with then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, received lengthy international bans. Warner recently added fuel to the fire by publicly stating that Khawaja’s version of events was "100 per cent accurate."
Khawaja’s revelations have placed renewed scrutiny on the bowling group who reaped the benefits of the altered ball—Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon—all of whom have consistently distanced themselves from the conspiracy. In 2021, the quartet issued a tightly worded joint statement to push back against persistent "rumour mongering and innuendo," explicitly denying any knowledge that a foreign substance was being used on the field to manufacture swing.
Despite the renewed pressure, Cricket Australia chairman David Boon has thrown his full weight behind the current Test captain, confirming that Cummins’ position is entirely secure.
"We absolutely support Pat," Boon said in remarks published by The Australian. "He’s been an exemplary captain, he’s led the team with integrity and, you know, very successfully over the period of time that he’s been captain, so there’s no question of our confidence in him continuing on in that fact."
Starc: My recollection hasn’t changed
Speaking to reporters earlier in the week, fast bowler Mitchell Starc maintained his stance following Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg’s confirmation that the board would not reopen the investigation into the 2018 incident.
"I haven’t really paid much attention to it to be fair," Starc said of Khawaja’s claims. "There are differing opinions of eight years ago. We were heavily grilled through the process, at the time and since. I won’t speak on behalf of the bowlers, but from where I stand, my opinion hasn’t changed, my recollection hasn’t changed from what we said in 2021. As far as our statement said, we weren’t aware of things being taken on the field. That’s where I’ll leave it."
Starc added that he had not read Khawaja’s book and did not intend to, leaving it to his former teammate to elaborate further. When questioned about claims in the book that the ball was also tampered with during the preceding Test at Port Elizabeth—now known as Gqeberha—Starc replied, "That’s the first I was aware of any of that."
Marsh not drawn on Khawaja claims | Root: It’s all speculation
Mitchell Marsh, who has been named Australia’s white-ball captain for the upcoming series against England and was part of the Test squad in South Africa in 2018, also addressed reporters in Perth ahead of Friday’s opening ODI. He declined to engage with the specifics of Khawaja’s allegations.
"I respect [Khawaja] for telling his story and for writing his book, and I don’t sit here coming from a place of judgment on any of that," Marsh said. "It was a really tough time for Australian cricket. There’s still a lot of people hurting. Now is not the time for me to share my story. My honest answer is because I’ve personally moved on. I respect that others probably haven’t, but I have. And I hope that’s respected."
Marsh added that while everyone holds a different perspective, some players prefer to leave the past behind. In his autobiography, Khawaja also alleges that the Australian team experimented with altering the ball’s seam during the 2017-18 home Ashes series against England, which Australia won 4-0 under Smith’s leadership.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) offered "no comment" when approached by media outlets, while England batter Joe Root maintained that the visiting squad remained focused entirely on the upcoming white-ball fixtures.
"We obviously have no idea," Root said. "It’s all speculation. I wasn’t in that dressing room. I don’t know what went on. I don’t want to speculate, as I said. My focus is with this team right now and what we’ve got coming up."
Cricket Australia: No compelling reason to re-open ‘Sandpapergate’ case
A statement released by the Australian Cricketers’ Association described the 2018 episode as a "low point for Australian cricket" and asserted that Smith, Warner, and Bancroft paid an "enormous" and "disproportionate" price for their actions. The association urged an end to the ongoing public hostility directed at the players involved.
Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, who assumed his role after the scandal took place, explained the board’s decision not to launch a fresh inquiry during an interview with Australian radio station SEN.
"We don’t see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again," Greenberg said. "I don’t think there’s anything that can be gained from that. We have said we’re comfortable with the outcome of the investigation based on the information we’ve received. That includes what we’ve seen from Usman. Our position hasn’t changed on that."
Greenberg acknowledged the inherent contradictions between Khawaja’s book and the statements provided by other members of the squad over the years.
"When you cut to the core of the challenge that we face here, Usman’s version of events is inconsistent with what others have had to say," Greenberg stated. "I can assure you there are lots of other players who have a very, very different version of events and they have made that very public from the very start of 2018. They have been very consistent in their position right through until today."
Clarke: I want the truth to come out
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has voiced his frustration, expressing a desire for complete transparency so that the sport can finally move past the controversy. Speaking on 2DayFM, Clarke argued that public trust has been compromised because a definitive account of events has never been fully established.
"Fans can’t trust what’s real. They don’t know the truth until this gets reopened and the truth comes out," Clarke said. "I would just like to see whatever the truth is for it all to come out, allow people to move on. For me, right now, there are more questions than answers. I want to know, firstly, did everyone know? Because certain players have come out and said they didn’t. That’s important information so we can get the truth."
Clarke also noted how the fallout from the scandal fundamentally altered the leadership trajectory of Australian cricket, paving the way for Tim Paine and subsequently Pat Cummins to assume the captaincy.