Ex-AUS pacer Chadd Sayers, part of 2018 SA tour, backs Khawaja's sandpaper claims, says entire team knew

New claims and contradictions continue to make headlines in Sandpapergate. This time, Chadd Sayers, a former Australian quick who was also part of the touring squad for the infamous 2018 South Africa Test series, has backed Usman Khawaja’s claims that everyone in the Australian dressing room was aware of the ploy behind using the banned substance. Sayers, whose only Test appearance came during the last Test in that series in Johannesburg, has gone against the current ODI captain, Pat Cummins, who dismissed Khawaja’s claims, saying he is wrong in his admission.

While Cummins and ace quick Mitchell Starc repeated the exact words they conveyed in a joint presser, alongside Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, in 2021 about their knowledge of sandpaper being used in the second Test, Sayers revealed that the whole unit was aware of it.

"I'm comfortable sitting here right now, and where I stand on the situation, that I believe that everyone in that side knew what was going on and what was being used," Sayers told SEN radio ahead of the second ODI in Adelaide. "I think I've probably been portrayed in the media as taking Usman's side because I've spoken out and acknowledged that that was probably the truth, but I'm neutral in all this. I'm just trying to tell my side of the story and what I believe happened."

Sayers admitted that Cape Town was not the first time Australia used sandpaper during the series, pinpointing the exact venue where it was first introduced.

"In Port Elizabeth. As it's known now, it was used in two Test matches, and there were discussions in the changing rooms about how we were going to get the ball to reverse, and what was going to be used.

"I just knew that it was going to be used, as I believe everyone else did. I guess the plan was that Cameron Bancroft was going to take that out, the ball was going to be dropped on the ground by the umpires, and he was going to go about his business … [the sandpaper] was given to me to take off, so that wasn't planned or anything; I was just the player who took the drinks out at the time,” he added.

Contrary to Cummins' claims on Friday that he does not recall any team meetings over taking collective responsibility for using sandpaper, Sayers said there instead was a lengthy discussion on what should be done next.

"After the occurrence in Cape Town we all sat in the change-rooms after that day's play, probably for 60 to 90 minutes, and just talked about what had happened and guess where to next," he said.

The right-arm seamer also said that he ‘vaguely’ recalled two players that Khawaja had written about, who were against this idea of a collective stance on the ball-tampering saga, but decided against naming them.