Usman Khawaja’s book revives dispute over 2018 ball-tampering investigation

Usman Khawaja’s new autobiography has revived calls for another investigation into Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering incident at Newlands in Cape Town, Reuters reported on Thursday, November 12. Khawaja, a member of that team, said the knowledge extended across it; Cricket Australia says it sees no compelling reason to reopen its inquiry.

• Khawaja told Nine Media: “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”
• Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said the board is comfortable with the original investigation’s outcome and sees no benefit in revisiting it.
• Former players and coach have offered conflicting accounts; Australia Test captain Pat Cummins said he planned to respond to media on Friday after reviewing Khawaja’s allegations.

What the 2018 investigation found

The incident involved sandpaper being brought onto the field at Newlands to scuff the ball. Reuters reported that Cricket Australia’s 2018 findings, presented by then chief executive James Sutherland, said prior knowledge was limited to captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Smith and Warner each received a one-year ban from elite cricket for bringing the game into disrepute; Bancroft, who took the sandpaper onto the field, was suspended for nine months. All three later returned to Test cricket.

Former teammates disagree over who knew

Former coach Darren Lehmann told ABC he did not think everyone would have known, describing knowledge as an individual, case-by-case matter. Warner backed Khawaja in an Instagram video, calling his account “100 per cent accurate.” Former batting coach Graeme Hick told Nine Media that Khawaja’s implication was “absolutely false” and said he had not heard or known of ball-tampering discussions in Port Elizabeth or Cape Town.

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc told reporters his view had not changed from a 2021 statement by him, Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon. The four said they learned a foreign substance had been taken onto the field only when they saw images on the Newlands big screen, and rejected challenges to their integrity. Cummins posted on X on Thursday that he would speak to media on Friday after taking time to understand the extent of Khawaja’s allegations and prepare a response.

The dispute resurfaces ahead of England series

The row returned to public attention as Australia prepared to host England in Perth. The Associated Press reported that limited-overs captain Mitch Marsh faced questions there on Thursday, five days after Khawaja’s claim, but said his focus was leading the squad in the series beginning Friday. The schedule comprises three one-day internationals and five T20 matches. England batter Joe Root declined to comment before his 200th ODI.

The renewed dispute puts the accounts of former teammates and coaches back in public view, while Cricket Australia’s stated position is to stand by its completed inquiry. The competing recollections leave the question of who beyond Smith, Warner and Bancroft knew unresolved in these public statements.