'Promised Warner I'd tell the truth': Usman Khawaja drops new Sandpaper Gate bombshell

Former Australian opener Usman Khawaja reignited the controversy by revealing shocking details about the infamous 2018 Sandpaper Gate in his autobiography Sabr, which saw Cricket Australia (CA) suspend David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft for their involvement. Khawaja’s revelation brought the topic back into the headlines, with those found guilty, and now others, facing renewed scrutiny over the unforgettable episode. The left-handed opener revealed how not just those three players, but also everyone in the dressing room, was aware that sandpaper was being used to change the ball’s condition to favour the Australian quicks during the Cape Town Test.

Addressing the fallout in a video posted to Instagram, Khawaja said he promised his school friend and long-time opening partner, Warner, that he would reveal the truth one day. Khawaja said he did not throw anyone under the bus following his explosive revelation, adding that those three players were not the only victims, but they took the blame for the rest of the team.

Also read| 'We did this as a team': Usman Khawaja opens up on Australia's 2018 sandpaper scandal

"I haven't thrown anyone under the bus," Khawaja said. "The guys that are currently in the team right now and the other people that were there on the South African tour, including me, we're not the victims. These three guys took the blame for all of us. They're the victims. People telling them that they're cheats, getting nailed by the crowd, public humiliation.

"I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story. I'm 100 per cent unapologetic for that. I stuck up for all cricketers in the past through the ACA, fighting for what I thought was right. This is no different.

"These three guys deserve justice, and I haven't pointed fingers at anyone. I'm still searching for what I was searching for all those years ago. For us, me included, to take the blame together as a team, so we can all move on from this once and for all. You know what? I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Khawaja added.

‘Smith Wanted to Take the Blame’

Khawaja said that when details about the Sandpaper Gate came out in public, he wanted to come out clean but was talked out of it by then-captain and team leader Steve Smith.

"Smudge [Smith] being the man and leader, he was talked me out of it," Khawaja said. "He wanted to take the blame. I argued with him, but he was having none of it. That's the first time I tried to come out."

He again tried to speak out following Bancroft’s 2021 interview with the Guardian, where he said that ‘the bowlers would have known’ what had gone wrong in South Africa. However, he said it was impossible for him to go public about the truth after the bowlers had issued a joint statement.

"This really p**sed me off but not as much as it p**sed Davy off,'' Khawaja wrote in an extract published by News Corp. "I got some pretty heated texts that night. I'm not sure about Smudge [Smith], but I'm sure he wasn't thrilled."

On his Instagram, he added, "I wasn't going to go to war with those guys back then. I just wasn't comfortable. That's the truth.

"So, then you ask, why didn't I say anything in those four years while I was still playing? You know what, I never wanted to be the first guy to chat about this. Call me a chicken or whatever you want. I didn't know how to do it because I was still in the team. How was I ever supposed to bring this up when I knew some of my teammates didn't want to talk about it? I knew everything I did or said always influenced and affected the team.

"I was always conscious of putting my team first, but I'm not in that team anymore. What I say now isn't a reflection of them anymore. Now my words don't influence the team at all. I speak for myself,” he concluded.