Cricket Australia is standing by their sandpapergate findings after Usman Khawaja claimed team-wide knowledge of the Cape Town ball-tampering plot and use in the previous Test.
The former Test opener made the bombshell allegations eight years on from the ball-tampering incident at Newlands in 2018.
An official investigation determined only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft knew of the idea to use sandpaper in the third Test.
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But Khawaja, who batted at No.3 in the Newlands Test, rubbished that finding.
“It was all of us,” the retired left-hander told the Sydney Morning Herald as he prepared to release his memoir Sabr.
“Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.
“I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth.
“The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now.”
Bancroft received a nine-month suspension, while Warner and Smith were banned for a year.
Smith, who was skipper at the time, was also banned from captaining Australia for two years.
Other players including bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon distanced themselves from the incident, insisting they had no knowledge “of a foreign substance” being taken on the field.
Khawaja recalled the rubicon moment coming in the previous Test in Port Elizabeth, since renamed Gqeberha.
In excerpts of his book, Khawaja said open, lighthearted discussions were held in the dressing room at St George’s Park about how to rough up the ball.
The retired opener said Smith walked away, suggesting he didn’t want to know about it.
At a break in play, Khawaja said Bancroft then volunteered to use sandpaper in South Africa’s first innings in Gqeberha and the ball swung lavishly during that period.
Despite Khawaja’s admissions, Cricket Australia has defended the findings of its swift probe.
“There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month’s series in South Africa,” a CA spokesperson said in a statement.
“During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case.
“All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process.”
The left-hander said he spoke passionately in the dressing room after the game for the team to take collective responsibility, rather than scapegoating Warner, Smith and Bancroft.
“Even in the change rooms when I was talking to them after the game, I said, ‘Take this as a team’,” he said.
“We did this as a team. We knew what was going on, and we have to take it as a team, and so I was always of that stance.
“Obviously, it didn’t work that way, and those three guys got crucified.”
As the cricket world digested Khawaja’s revelations on Saturday, many accused him of throwing his teammates “under a bus” just to sell a few books.
And South Australian coach Ryan Harris was not amused.
“It’s taken him eight years to say that … that’s a bit disappointing,” Harris said on the ABC on Saturday.
A fan said: “Throwing your teammates under the bus just to sell a book is a dick move by Khawaja.”
And another: “Khawaja wants his book to sell. It’s not the first time a retired cricketer is doing this but what is surprising is that it’s an Aussie, they generally do not throw their teammates under the bus.”
And another: “To drop this bomb on the players still in the team so he can sell a few more books is the epitome of a bad teammate.”
And another: “Why dump on ya mates? Why not tell the truth from the start? And CA doing the old total denial trick! No wonder our Test team is a mess.”
Khawaja did give Cummins a “heads up” about his upcoming autobiography in the lead up to Australia’s recent tour of South Africa.
The Australian Test captain was unconcerned about the possibility of any sandpapergate revelations reopening old wounds.
“It’s obviously a long time ago,” Cummins said last month.
“All the investigations, everything was done back then.
“(I’ve) answered every question a million times so it was dealt with then … all I can say is, as a group, we’ve moved on.”
