Last Updated: November 10, 2026 07:44 PM
A famous cricket scandal has returned to the headlines this week. A former player has now shared his own memories in a new book. Let us look at the claims and the facts in simple words.
What the Autobiography Claims
Usman Khawaja revealed new details about the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal in his autobiography. The claims emerged shortly before the book came out on Tuesday. He says Australia’s ball tampering was not limited to the Cape Town Test.
He claims the team also used sandpaper in Port Elizabeth Test, the match before Cape Town. These are Khawaja’s personal claims from his own book about that match.
Khawaja says Cameron Bancroft volunteered to tamper with the ball during a break. He claims Bancroft returned after the interval and picked up the ball left by the umpires. Bancroft then reportedly used sandpaper to rough up one side of the ball.
“The next session, we absolutely went through the South Africans. Bangers had walked onto the field after the break, picked up the ball that the umpires had left on the field, and given it a few twists and turns. The ball came up a treat. The shiny side was shiny and, thanks to sandpaper, the reverse side was really rough and dry,” Khawaja wrote.
“Every time during the session the ball was passed to me at gully, I’d take a look and think, Wow, even I could reverse swing this ball. It was ridiculous. The bowlers then went to work and bowled beautifully. Reversing it around corners. We got four wickets for 28 runs,” he added.
Khawaja described a ball with one shiny side and one very rough, dry side. That shape makes reverse swing much easier for fast bowlers.
How the Ball Behave
The ball reportedly began to reverse much earlier than usual. Khawaja claims Australia then took four South African wickets for just 28 runs in one session. South Africa were replying to Australia’s first-innings total of 243 at St George’s Park.
Khawaja says he stood at gully and felt surprised by how easily the ball reversed. A bowler reportedly joked that nobody should tamper more because the ball reversed too much. Most players reportedly laughed because the damage had already happened.
“I know what you’re probably thinking right now. Didn’t you guys get caught in Cape Town, not Port Elizabeth? Yes, we did, but who said we didn’t do it in the game before as well?” he added.
Wider Team Awareness and Reactions
Usman Khawaja revealed that the plan involved wider team awareness, not only three players. The Cape Town scandal led Cricket Australia to ban Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft.
Khawaja admits Australia were caught in Cape Town but questions whether it was the first time. These claims have reopened debate about how far the controversy really went.
What Fans Should Keep in Mind
Readers should wait for any official response before drawing firm conclusions. Whether further investigation is needed remains an open question for cricket authorities.
We will share verified updates about the sandpaper in Port Elizabeth Test if anything changes. Usman Khawaja revealed his version and fans can now judge the claims for themselves.
