Usman Khawaja on Ball Tampering: Did He Throw Anyone Under the Bus?

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Usman Khawaja has defended his revelations about the Australian ball-tampering scandal and rejected a personal allegation: He did not throw anyone under the bus. The former Australian Test opener is using that statement to justify both his account of the past and the timing of when he made the details public.

The defense follows an initial blow: Khawaja had claimed the previous day that sandpaper had already been used before the Cape Town 2018 Test and that the entire team had been responsible. In his new statement, the sequence of events is now at the center.

Khawaja’s Statement Is Scheduled for November 8, 2026

Usman Khawaja published his defense in a five-minute, two-part Instagram statement. In it, he describes when he wanted to make the manipulation public and why he initially stayed away from speaking publicly. ABC Canberra and The Guardian are reporting on the dispute.

The Central Statement

“I did not throw anyone under the bus,” Khawaja says. According to The Guardian, he published the statement on social media as a defense of his decision about when to address the matter publicly.

Khawaja is primarily answering criticism of the late timing. He does not question the team’s knowledge. On the contrary: He says everyone knew about it. His defense therefore concerns less the alleged sequence of events itself than his decision not to speak to the press at first.

“I did not throw anyone under the bus.”

Steve Smith Discouraged Khawaja From Publishing in 2018

The First Attempt

Khawaja says he initially intended to make the details public a few days after the incident. By that point, Steve Smith had already been suspended. Khawaja says he informed Smith, whom he referred to as “Smudge,” that he was going to speak to the media.

His statement describes Smith’s reaction this way: He could not understand the penalties imposed on Smith. Smith, however, convinced him not to go public. “He wanted to take the blame,” the report quotes Khawaja as saying. With that sentence, he seeks to show that Smith did not silence him out of self-interest.

The Dispute With Smith

Khawaja says he argued with Smith about it, but Smith would not allow a discussion. As a team member, he assessed that he did not want to make the team’s knowledge public initially. His current statement therefore assumes responsibility for that decision without portraying Steve Smith as the sole cause.

In 2021, Khawaja Wanted to Place Responsibility on the Entire Team

The Second Attempt

After the scandal, Khawaja tried again to expose the matter. In 2021, he spoke at length with the then-coach Justin Langer and Todd Greenberg. Greenberg was then chief executive of the players’ union and later became CEO of Cricket Australia.

According to Khawaja, the aim of those conversations was for the team to assume joint responsibility. But according to the report, a public statement by the bowlers denied having known about the matter.

The Promise With David Warner

Khawaja also describes a personal agreement with his friend David Warner: He would reveal the truth about the scandal in his book after the three players involved had ended their careers. According to his account, he believed Warner, Smith and Cameron Bancroft would take the blame for the entire team.

His current position therefore describes those three men as victims. According to The Guardian, Khawaja said the players had been treated by the public as crooks and had been publicly and humiliatingly attacked. He said that whoever was on the team today and was on the South Africa trip in 2018 was not in that position.

Why Khawaja Remained Silent Until 2026

His Time With the Team

When Khawaja returned to the Australian team in 2022, he said he felt uncomfortable about the silence surrounding the scandal. “I did not know how to do it because I was still in the team,” he explained. The team continued to take priority for him.

His book, “Sabr,” was not due to be published until after Australia’s Test return to South Africa in the previous month. Khawaja sees that as evidence that he was not trying to make money from the publication.

He also points to his previous work for the players’ union. Players had supported “what I thought was right” in the past. He wants to apply the same stance to the scandal now. He said that after leaving the Australian team, his account was no longer a reflection of the team.

What “Sabr” Says About the Manipulation in South Africa

The Second Test at St. George’s Park

Excerpts from Khawaja’s memoir describe an Australian player applying sandpaper to the ball during the second Test against South Africa in 2018 at St. George’s Park. When the team saw the heavily worn side, it understood, according to Khawaja, how much the ball would deviate in flight.

Bancroft then offered to use the substance. According to Khawaja, at first this happened only at the start of a session as the team took the field. At the following Test in Cape Town, the tactic was then also used on the field.

The Secret Ended With Cameras and Umpires

Khawaja also claims that a member of the Australian coaching staff encouraged Bancroft to increase the use of the substance. Bancroft was ultimately caught by cameras and then by the umpires. This account forms the basis of Khawaja’s allegation that not only the three players later suspended knew about the manipulation.

The Cross-Check: Cricket Australia Contradicts the Team’s Version

The statements about the team’s knowledge directly conflict with the official investigation findings. According to the report, Cricket Australia was “comfortable” with the 2018 outcome, which found that only David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft knew about the idea.

The bowlers named, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, also distanced themselves from the incident. They said they knew nothing about a foreign substance being brought onto the field.

Khawaja has also criticized Cricket Australia over how it handled the investigation, saying that he was not interviewed at the time. His statement is therefore not independent confirmation of the official findings. It is his own reconstruction, which he has disseminated publicly through his book and his statements.

The Strongest Counterargument Lies in the Timeline Itself

Khawaja is defending his silence in terms of his responsibility to the team. That is also precisely where the weakness of his account lies: If knowledge existed within the team and three players accepted public blame, an earlier report could have protected others from public humiliation—or made the extent of the manipulation even clearer.

Khawaja therefore gives a personal answer to the questions raised by ABC Canberra and The Guardian: He did not deliberately sacrifice anyone, but he regarded himself as part of the team. His current defense does not make the silence without consequences. It explains why, according to his own account, he considered it necessary.

You can find more details and the respective original reports at ABC Canberra and The Guardian.