Usman Khawaja’s Sandpapergate Claims: The Background as of November 7, 2026

Verified: November 7, 2026, at 05:10 UTC (4:10 p.m. in Sydney, AEDT, UTC+11:00).

Usman Khawaja has renewed scrutiny of Australian cricket’s 2018 sandpapergate scandal, saying that players and staff knew about ball tampering during the South Africa tour. Ahead of his memoir Sabr, the former Test batter also alleged that sandpaper was used in the Test before the notorious Cape Town incident.

His account conflicts with Cricket Australia’s investigation, which identified only Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner as knowing of the Cape Town plan. Former coach Darren Lehmann has denied personal knowledge of sandpaper use and disputed the suggestion that the whole camp knew. The competing accounts leave a central question unresolved: how widely was the plan known?

Destaques

• Khawaja played in the Cape Town Test and says responsibility for what happened was shared across the group.
• He alleges sandpaper was also used in the preceding Test at Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha.
• Cricket Australia says it remains comfortable with its investigation’s findings and will consider relevant information presented to it.
• Sabr is scheduled for publication on November 10, 2026.

What did Usman Khawaja say about sandpapergate?

In an interview with Nine newspapers and accounts from his forthcoming book, Khawaja said knowledge extended beyond the three players punished after the Cape Town Test. He said it included batters, bowlers and staff, according to reporting by ABC News.

Khawaja also described discussions about roughing up the ball during the second Test at St George’s Park. He alleges Bancroft volunteered to use sandpaper during South Africa’s first innings there. That is Khawaja’s account of an earlier match, not a finding established by Cricket Australia’s 2018 investigation.

He has said he urged the team to accept collective responsibility after the Cape Town incident and that he was not interviewed by Cricket Australia about it. His recollections are significant because he was in the side, but the breadth of his claim remains contested.

What was sandpapergate in 2018?

During the third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, television cameras caught Bancroft attempting to alter the condition of the ball. The incident happened on the third day of the match, March 24, 2018, and became known as sandpapergate after Cricket Australia confirmed that sandpaper had been used.

Changing the ball’s surface artificially can help one side become rougher than the other. That can affect how the ball moves through the air, including a form of movement called reverse swing, potentially making batting harder. Cricket permits ordinary wear during play but prohibits using an external object to change the ball’s condition.

Smith, then Australia’s captain, admitted to the International Cricket Council that he was party to a decision to attempt to alter the ball. Bancroft also accepted an ICC charge. The ICC imposed a one-Test suspension and a match-fee fine on Smith, and fined Bancroft and gave him demerit points.

Who was banned after the Cape Town Test?

Cricket Australia imposed separate, longer sanctions: 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket for Smith and Warner, and a nine-month ban for Bancroft. The players accepted those sanctions.

As the ICC’s account of Cricket Australia’s findings records, Warner was found to have developed the plan and instructed Bancroft to carry it out. Smith knew of the potential plan and failed to prevent it; Bancroft carried out the attempt and sought to conceal evidence. The investigation identified the three as the only players who knew about the plan. Lehmann subsequently stepped down as coach.

The scandal became a broader reckoning over the national team’s conduct and culture. The penalties also had consequences for leadership and the careers of the three players, all of whom later returned to Test cricket.

How have Cricket Australia and Darren Lehmann responded?

Cricket Australia said relevant information presented to it had been considered, that it remained comfortable with its integrity process, and that the opportunity to provide relevant information remained open. Its statement does not establish that a new investigation has been opened.

Lehmann, who coached the team at the time, told ABC Sport he did not personally know about sandpaper use and did not think everyone in the Australian camp would have known. He also said he could not confirm or deny Khawaja’s account of a discussion about taking collective responsibility because he was not present. His comments are reported in ABC’s interview with Lehmann.

Australia’s bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon previously denied in 2021 that they knew a foreign substance was being taken onto the field. Their earlier denial, Lehmann’s response and Cricket Australia’s position stand alongside Khawaja’s differing account; none should be treated as independently resolving every disputed detail.

What is Sabr, and what happens next?

Sabr is Khawaja’s autobiography. Its title is an Arabic word for patience, according to publisher Penguin Books Australia, which lists November 10, 2026, as its publication date. The book also covers his life, identity and cricket career; sandpapergate is one part of that wider story.

Further responses or evidence could clarify the disputed accounts, particularly the alleged use of sandpaper in the earlier Test and who knew what at the time. For now, Cricket Australia has reaffirmed its original findings, while Khawaja’s account has put those findings back under public examination.

Frequently asked questions

Was Usman Khawaja banned over sandpapergate?

No. Cricket Australia suspended Smith, Warner and Bancroft after the Cape Town incident; Khawaja was not one of the three sanctioned players.

When will Sabr be published?

Penguin Books Australia lists November 10, 2026, as the publication date.

Has Cricket Australia reopened the investigation?

Its latest reported statement says it remains comfortable with its findings and will consider relevant information. It did not announce a new investigation.