Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has reignited debate over the infamous Sandpapergate scandal by claiming responsibility extended beyond Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja alleged that the entire Australian team, including players and support staff, were involved in the infamous ball-tampering scandal during the South Africa tour.
The Australian ball-tampering scandal, widely known as Sandpapergate, was one of the biggest controversies in cricket history, which took place during the third Test between Australia and South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town.
Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper to alter the ball’s conditions on TV cameras and then attempted to hide it in his trousers. The then-leadership duo of David Warner and Steve Smith admitted that they had discussed the plan, leading to the trio receiving strict punishment.
Khawaja makes bombshell claim
Khawaja said the responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal should not fall on a few individuals alone, insisting that the entire Australian team shared accountability.
The former cricketer also expressed disappointment that the full truth had not emerged publicly even after eight years and said that he expected someone else like Warner to address it by now.
“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us. In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this. 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 come out- someone else like David would have been out by now.
More from Firstcricket“Maybe I thought Davey would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to this. But the longer it’s gone on for, and right from the very start, I’ve been on the train of collectively taking it,” Khawaja said to Nine, as per Cricinfo.
Retired opener wanted all to take the blame
Khawaja further said that he urged his teammates to face the fallout from the ball-tampering scandal as a group instead of facing the fallout as a group rather than allowing a few individuals to bear the blame.
The scandal ultimately left Smith, Warner and Bancroft shouldering most of the criticism, and he also praised Warner for remaining silent and enduring years of public scrutiny despite the broader team’s involvement.