Khawaja Says ‘It Was All of Us’: The Whole Australia Team Knew About Sandpapergate, New Book Claims

Eight years after Australian cricket’s darkest day, one of the men who was there has broken his silence — and what he says changes the story completely.

Usman Khawaja, the former Australian Test opener, has claimed that the entire Australian team knew about the sandpaper plan in 2018. Not three players. All of them.

“It was all of us,” Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald. “Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”

The claim appears in Khawaja’s new autobiography, Sabr, which is published on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. Extracts from the book were published in the Sydney Morning Herald and the other Nine newspapers on Saturday, 7 November — three days before the book’s release.

Cricket Australia has already responded. On the same day the extracts appeared, the board said it stands by the findings of its original investigation, which found that only three men — Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft — had prior knowledge of the plan.

The clash between Khawaja’s account and Cricket Australia’s official version has reopened one of the biggest scandals in the history of the sport.

What Khawaja Claims

Khawaja’s central claim is simple: the sandpaper tactic was not a secret plan cooked up by three players. It was discussed openly, in front of the whole touring party, and it was used more than once.

Here is what he says happened, in his own account:

The plan was discussed a Test earlier. According to Khawaja, the idea of using sandpaper to rough up the ball was talked about openly in the Australian dressing room during the second Test of the 2018 series, at Port Elizabeth — now called Gqeberha — in South Africa. That was a full Test before the infamous incident at Cape Town.

Sandpaper was used in that Test too. Khawaja says the team discovered sandpaper as an effective way to get the ball to swing in reverse during the Port Elizabeth Test, and that it was used there — not just at Cape Town.

The whole touring party knew. Khawaja says the plan for Cape Town was known across the entire touring party: players and staff alike. His words — “all of us” — leave no room for doubt about what he means.

He was never asked about it. Perhaps the most striking part of Khawaja’s account is that he says he was never interviewed by Cricket Australia’s investigation into the incident, even though he sat next to Bancroft in the dressing room throughout the Cape Town Test.

“I was sitting next to Cam Bancroft that whole Test match, and I didn’t get interviewed,” Khawaja said.

He wanted the team to own it together. Khawaja also says that after the Cape Town Test, he spoke passionately to his teammates in the dressing room, urging them to take collective responsibility for what had happened — rather than letting three men carry the blame alone.

What Is Sandpapergate?

For readers who do not follow cricket closely, here is a simple explanation of what happened in 2018.

In March 2018, Australia were playing a Test series in South Africa. During the third Test, at Newlands in Cape Town, television cameras caught Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft rubbing a piece of sandpaper on the cricket ball.

Why does that matter? In cricket, the condition of the ball is a huge part of the game. Bowlers want the ball to swing through the air, and a ball that has been roughened up on one side swings more — especially in reverse swing, a late, sharp movement that is very hard for a batsman to play. But changing the condition of the ball with an outside object is illegal. It is called ball tampering, and it is one of the most serious offences in the sport.

The footage of Bancroft hiding the sandpaper in his trousers, after being spotted by the cameras, became one of the most famous images in cricket history. Within days, the scandal had a name: Sandpapergate.

The fallout was enormous. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were banned from cricket for a year. Bancroft was banned for nine months. Smith lost the captaincy. The coach, Darren Lehmann, resigned. Australia’s reputation — built on a proud tradition of playing hard but fair — was badly damaged.

The official investigation by Cricket Australia concluded that only Smith, Warner and Bancroft had prior knowledge of the plan. That finding has stood for eight years. Khawaja’s book now says it was wrong.

Why This Matters Now

Khawaja’s claims matter for several reasons.

First, they directly contradict the official record. If the whole team knew, then the investigation that cleared everyone except three players was incomplete — or worse. Khawaja’s claim that he was never interviewed, despite sitting next to Bancroft for the entire Cape Town Test, raises serious questions about how thorough that investigation really was.

Second, they cast doubt on a famous public statement. In 2021, four of Australia’s leading bowlers — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon — issued a joint statement saying they had no prior knowledge of the sandpaper plan. Khawaja’s account, if true, means that statement was not accurate.

Third, the timing is striking. Khawaja retired from international cricket only this January, after the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He played 88 Tests for Australia and scored 6,229 runs. He is no longer an active player with a career to protect, and he says he assumed the truth would come out during the eight years since the scandal. It did not — so he decided to tell it himself.

“I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth,” Khawaja said. “The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now.”

Cricket Australia’s Response

Cricket Australia moved quickly. Within hours of the extracts appearing, the board issued a statement defending its original investigation.

The board said that all relevant information presented to it had been properly considered, and that it remains comfortable with the findings of its original integrity process — the process that found only Smith, Warner and Bancroft had prior knowledge.

In other words: Cricket Australia is not reopening the case, and it is not changing its position.

That sets up a direct conflict. On one side, a respected former player who was in the dressing room, saying the whole team knew. On the other, the sport’s governing body in Australia, saying its investigation was sound.

Khawaja did give Cricket Australia advance warning. Before the book’s release, he briefed both the current Australian captain, Pat Cummins, and Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg about what the book contains. He also spoke to Cummins about the book before Australia’s recent tour of South Africa.

The Book: Sabr

The book itself is called Sabr — an Arabic word meaning patience and endurance. Its full title is Sabr: Finding My Way in Cricket and Life.

It is a 448-page autobiography, and Khawaja wrote it himself, without help from an established writer or journalist. That is unusual for a sports memoir, and it means the words in the book are his own.

The book covers far more than Sandpapergate. Khawaja’s story is one of the most remarkable in Australian cricket. Born in Islamabad, Pakistan, he moved to Australia as a child and became the first Muslim and the first Pakistani-born player to represent Australia in Test cricket. He has spoken openly about the challenges of being different in a sport that has not always welcomed difference — and about the patience, or sabr, that carried him through a long career with many ups and downs.

But the chapter on Cape Town is the one everyone will read first. And the extracts published this weekend suggest it will be read very closely indeed.

What Happens Next

Several things are likely to happen in the coming days:

The full book comes out on Tuesday. When Sabr is published on 10 November, the full chapter on Cape Town will be available, with more detail than the newspaper extracts. Expect every word to be examined.

More players may speak. Khawaja’s claims put pressure on other members of that 2018 touring party. Some may back him. Others may dispute his account. The 2021 statement by the four bowlers is now under fresh scrutiny, and reporters will be asking them whether they stand by it.

Cricket Australia will face questions. The board has said it stands by its investigation. But if more players support Khawaja’s version of events, the pressure to reopen the matter — or at least to explain why key witnesses were never interviewed — will grow.

The debate about blame will return. One of the saddest parts of Sandpapergate was the way three players carried the punishment while the rest of the team moved on. Khawaja’s account suggests the responsibility was shared far more widely than the official record shows. That raises a fair question: was the punishment fair?

For now, the facts are these: a respected former player says the whole team knew; the governing body says its investigation was right; and the book that started it all is not even out yet.

Eight years on, Sandpapergate is not finished. It may just be starting again.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Usman Khawaja claim about Sandpapergate?

Khawaja claims the entire Australian team — players and staff — knew about the sandpaper plan in 2018, that it was discussed openly in the dressing room during the second Test at Port Elizabeth, and that sandpaper was used in that Test as well as at Cape Town. He also says he was never interviewed by Cricket Australia’s investigation.

When is Khawaja’s book published?

Sabr is published on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. Extracts appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald and Nine newspapers on Saturday, 7 November 2026.

What did Cricket Australia say in response?

Cricket Australia said all relevant information presented to it had been properly considered and that it remains comfortable with the findings of its original integrity process, which found only Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft had prior knowledge.

Who was punished after Sandpapergate?

Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for 12 months, and Cameron Bancroft was banned for nine months. Smith also lost the Australian captaincy, and coach Darren Lehmann resigned.

How many Tests did Usman Khawaja play for Australia?

Khawaja played 88 Tests and scored 6,229 runs before retiring from international cricket in January 2026, after the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Conclusion

Usman Khawaja waited eight years for the truth about Sandpapergate to come out on its own. When it did not, he wrote it down himself.

His claim — that the whole Australian team knew about the sandpaper plan — is one of the most serious ever made about the scandal. If it is true, the official story of 2018 was incomplete, the punishment fell on too few shoulders, and some of the most famous denials in the sport’s history were wrong.

Cricket Australia disagrees, and it is standing by its investigation. But the board’s word alone may not be enough anymore. The full book arrives on Tuesday, and with it, the full story — in Khawaja’s own words.

Whatever happens next, one thing is certain: Sandpapergate, eight years after it shocked the cricket world, is back in the headlines. And this time, the man telling the story was sitting in the room.

Sources

• ESPNcricinfo, “‘It was all of us’ — Usman Khawaja exposes sandpaper details from Cape Town 2018”, 6 November 2026: https://www.cricinfo.com/story/it-was-all-of-us-khawaja-exposes-sandpaper-details-from-2018-1561704
• AAP, “Khawaja makes key admission in Sandpapergate scandal”, 7 November 2026: https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/khawaja-makes-key-admission-in-sandpapergate-scandal
• SA Cricket Magazine, “Khawaja says Sandpapergate involved the whole squad”, 7 November 2026: https://www.sacricketmag.com/khawaja-says-sandpapergate-involved-the-whole-squad/

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.