Last Updated: November 8, 2026 11:13 AM
Some stories stay hidden for years before people share their side of them. Cricket fans have long wondered what really happened behind a famous scandal. Now one former player has finally explained his long wait.
Usman Khawaja Breaks His Silence
Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has revisited the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. He is doing so ahead of the release of his autobiography. The book dedicates an entire chapter to Sandpapergate and what followed.
The scandal happened during a Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018. Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper to change the ball’s surface. The scandal shocked cricket fans around the world and damaged the team’s image. An investigation then led to bans for all three players.
Why He Stayed Quiet
Many fans asked why the eight-year silence on Sandpapergate lasted so long. Khawaja says he wanted to speak right after the incident. However, Steve Smith took responsibility and spoke to the media himself.
Khawaja nearly spoke out in 2021 after four Australian bowlers denied knowing about the tampering. Those four were Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon. He found it hard to speak because he was still playing for Australia. He admits he did not know how to handle the situation then.
Team Responsibility and the Instagram Post
Khawaja recently said the whole Australian team shared responsibility for what happened. He explained his view in more detail in a lengthy Instagram post. He said players and staff on that tour should not see themselves as victims.
“When I mentioned it was all of us, that’s implying that whether we like it or not, we’re all responsible for what happened together as a team,” Usman Khawaja wrote in his Instagram post.
“We need to take that collectively. That is all. I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus. The guys that are currently in the team right now and the other people that were there on the South African tour, including me, we’re not the victims. These three guys (Smith, Warner and Bancroft) took the blame for all of us,” he further wrote.
Khawaja believes Smith, Warner, and Bancroft took the blame for the wider team. He stressed that he never wanted to blame anyone or throw them under the bus. He also rejected claims that the timing was a marketing plan for his book.
What This Means for Fans
Khawaja played 88 Test matches for Australia before he retired. His view is that Sandpapergate was a failure of the whole team. Only three players received official punishments, but he sees the blame as shared.
Readers can now understand the eight-year silence on Sandpapergate in his own words. Usman Khawaja shares his full account in the autobiography for readers to judge.
