Australian opening batsman Usman Khawaja has blown the lid off one of cricket's darkest controversies by revealing that the entire Australian team and support staff were aware of the infamous 2018 "Sandpaper Gate" ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
In his upcoming autobiography ‘Sabar’, Khawaja shatters the long-held narrative promoted by Cricket Australia (CA) that only Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were privy to the plot during the Cape Town Test. Speaking to the Nine network, Khawaja stated, "এটি আমাদের সবার সম্মিলিত বিষয় ছিল... আমি সত্যিই ভেবেছিলাম যে আট বছর পেরিয়ে যাওয়ার পর এতদিনে সত্যটা সবার সামনে চলে আসবে।" (It was a collective matter for all of us... I genuinely thought the truth would come out after eight years.)
Read nextTowhid Hridoy's Historic Double Century & Taijul's Gritty Support Secure 30-Run Lead for BangladeshAccording to Khawaja, discussions regarding the use of sandpaper first occurred during the second Test at St George's Park in Gqeberha, where Steve Smith walked away from the lighthearted chat, stating he did not want to know. Bancroft subsequently proposed using sandpaper during the first innings of the Cape Town Test. Furthermore, Khawaja claimed that Cricket Australia never interrogated him during their 2018 investigation—allegedly because investigators knew he would speak the truth about the team's collective involvement. The fresh revelations directly challenge past denials by Australian bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon.
— Daily Best News Desk • Fearless in the search for truth
Reported by Sports Desk • Edited by the Daily Best News desk. Send corrections to [email protected].
