Usman Khawaja Defends Timing of Sandpaper Revelations
Usman Khawaja says a promise to David Warner drove him to speak publicly about Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Khawaja rejected claims that he had thrown former teammates under the bus, saying he wants the players punished for the incident to share responsibility with the wider team.
Usman Khawaja defended his revelations about Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Instagram videos posted Sunday, saying a promise to David Warner motivated him to speak. The former Australia opener said he had not thrown anyone “under the bus.”
Khawaja said he wanted the three players punished after the Cape Town Test — Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft — to share the blame with the wider team. “These three guys took the blame for all of us. They’re the victims,” he said.
He said Warner, his childhood friend and long-time opening partner, was central to his decision. “I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story,” Khawaja said. “I’m absolutely 100 percent unapologetic for that.”
Khawaja’s comments followed extracts from his autobiography, Sabr, in which he said discussions about altering the ball took place during the South Africa series. He has said the team’s responsibility extended beyond the three players who received sanctions.
He described earlier attempts to speak publicly. After the Cape Town Test, Khawaja said Smith persuaded him not to go to the media. “I argued with him, but he was having none of it,” Khawaja said.
Khawaja said he later considered speaking after Cameron Bancroft’s 2021 interview, but felt unable to do so after Australia’s bowlers issued a joint statement denying prior knowledge of a foreign substance being taken onto the field.
“I wasn’t going to go to war with those guys back then,” Khawaja said. He added that he had been uncomfortable raising the subject while still playing for Australia and was mindful of how his words could affect the team.
Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann disputed Khawaja’s claim that the entire team knew. Lehmann said he did not think everyone would have known, while acknowledging ball tampering had been part of cricket for a long time.
“That doesn’t make it right either, but that’s the case, and we paid a heavy price for that,” Lehmann said.
Khawaja said he wanted the players who took the blame to receive justice and for the team to accept responsibility together. “You know what? I would do it again in a heartbeat,” he said.
