Most cricket fans can name the three players at the centre of the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, but fewer can say which parts of that story are on the record. Usman Khawaja, who played 88 Tests (BBC Sport (public broadcaster)), has now made a claim that reopens the question, and this piece separates dated facts and career records from the claims still being argued over, marking where the evidence runs out.
Khawaja Test matches: 88 (BBC Sport) ·
Smith and Warner bans: 12 months each (Reuters (wire service)) ·
Bancroft ban: 9 months (Reuters) ·
Khawaja retirement: (Cricket Australia (official site))
Quick snapshot
- Cameron Bancroft was caught on TV cameras using sandpaper on the ball in the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town, (BBC Sport)
- Steve Smith and David Warner each received a 12-month ban, and Bancroft received nine months (Reuters)
- Khawaja made his Test debut in at the Sydney Cricket Ground against England (Cricket Australia)
- Khawaja says the entire touring party knew of the sandpaper plan, a claim that is contested (Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney daily))
- Cricket Australia’s 2018 investigation limited knowledge to three players, according to BD Times citing that investigation (BD Times (Australian news site))
- Khawaja says sandpaper was first used at Gqeberha, a claim that is not independently verified (The Age (Melbourne newspaper))
- : the bowlers’ joint statement denies knowledge of a foreign substance (Fox Sports Australia (sports broadcaster))
- : Khawaja retires from international cricket after 88 Tests (Cricket Australia) (Fox Sports Australia (sports broadcaster))
- : Khawaja’s memoir Sabr is reportedly published by Penguin Books Australia (WhatTheFact (fact-check site))
- Cricket Australia says it remains comfortable with its 2018 integrity finding (AAP News (Australian wire service))
- A fact-checker rates Khawaja’s team-wide claim “partly true” with low confidence (WhatTheFact) (AAP News (Australian wire service))
Nine checkable facts carry this story, and everything past them depends on Khawaja’s account.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Khawaja Test matches | 88 (BBC Sport) |
| Khawaja Test runs | 6,229 (BBC Sport) |
| Khawaja Test debut | , Sydney Cricket Ground vs England (Cricket Australia) |
| Khawaja retirement | , after 88 Tests (Cricket Australia) |
| Highest Test score | 232 vs Sri Lanka, Galle, (Wikipedia (encyclopedia)) |
| Steve Smith ban | 12 months, (The Age (Melbourne newspaper)) |
| David Warner ban | 12 months, (The Age (Melbourne newspaper)) |
| Cameron Bancroft ban | 9 months, (Reuters (wire service)) |
| Sandpapergate | , third Test at Cape Town (BBC Sport) |
Who is Usman Khawaja?
Career profile and batting style
- Debut: , at the Sydney Cricket Ground against England, batting at No. 3 (Cricket Australia)
- Test runs: 6,229 in 88 Tests (BBC Sport)
- Test centuries: 16, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedia)
- Highest score: 232 against Sri Lanka at Galle International Stadium in January 2025, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedia)
- Last 43 Tests, January 2022 to December 2025: 3,319 runs at 46.09 with eight hundreds (Cricket Australia)
- Those 3,319 runs are the most scored by an Australian over the age of 35 (Cricket Australia)
- Position: 14th on Australia’s all-time Test runs list after 88 Tests (Cricket Australia)
Khawaja’s standing rests on run volume rather than one peak innings, and that volume is the part of his record that comes from official figures. The 3,319 runs in his last 43 Tests (Cricket Australia) make a stronger case than any reputation argument.
Book claims about Sandpapergate
- Khawaja’s memoir Sabr is reportedly published by Penguin Books Australia on 10 November 2026 (WhatTheFact)
- Khawaja says sandpaper was first discussed and used at Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha, before the Cape Town Test (The Age)
- Khawaja says Bancroft volunteered to use sandpaper during the Gqeberha Test, an account that is not independently verified (BD Times)
The implication: the book moves the scandal from who was caught to who knew, and that question now rests on one witness’s account.
Why did Justin Langer resign?
The research pack contains no Cricket Australia statement on Langer’s departure, so this section cannot give a confirmed date or an official reason.
Sandpapergate context for the coaching period
- Justin Langer was Australia’s head coach in 2021, the year the bowlers issued their joint statement (The West Australian (Perth newspaper))
- Khawaja says he approached Langer and Todd Greenberg in 2021 to seek collective team responsibility, then dropped the attempt after the bowlers’ statement (The West Australian)
- The bowlers’ 2021 statement says they did not know of the foreign substance until they saw the images at Newlands (Fox Sports Australia)
Langer’s stated view on Smith, Warner and Bancroft
- Langer publicly said the three players took the fall for the Australian team and for cricketers around the world (News.com.au (national news site))
The trade-off: Langer’s defence of the three players is documented, but his departure reason is not, so readers should not link the two without a Cricket Australia statement.
Who is the best Australian cricket bowler?
The research pack holds no bowling records, so this article cannot rank bowlers on verified data.
Wicket totals for Warne, McGrath and Lillee
- No Test wicket total for Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath or Dennis Lillee appears in the sources retrieved for this piece, so no figures are printed here.
- Naming a best bowler requires a verified wicket table from Cricket Australia or an equivalent official record.
Pat Cummins and the modern attack
- Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon signed the 2021 joint statement denying prior knowledge (Fox Sports Australia)
- Their statement is the only bowler-side account in the research pack, so it cannot settle the team-wide question alone (News.com.au)
The trade-off: a “best bowler” claim can only be argued on wicket records, and the 2021 statement answers a different question about the 2018 plot.
Who are the most famous Australian cricketers?
No ranked list of famous players appears in the research, so this section measures fame by who drives the current coverage.
Names in the 2018 and 2026 coverage
- Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft: 2018 bans (The Age (Melbourne newspaper))
- Usman Khawaja: 88 Tests and the 2026 memoir claims (BBC Sport)
- Justin Langer: former head coach, quoted on the three players (News.com.au)
- Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon: the 2021 bowlers’ statement (Fox Sports Australia)
Record comparison in Sri Lanka
- Langer’s 166 in Sri Lanka was the previous Australian record there, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedia)
- Khawaja’s 232 at Galle surpassed that mark, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedia)
Why this matters: fame in this coverage follows the scandal, so the names that recur show who sits inside the story, not who ranks highest as a player.
Which Australian cricketers are the best right now?
The research includes no current-form table, and the most prominent Australian batter in it has already retired from Test cricket.
Checking current form with official statistics
- Check Test, ODI and T20 figures on the Cricket Australia website, and date every number you use (Cricket Australia)
- Khawaja’s last 43 Tests yielded 3,319 runs at 46.09, with eight hundreds (Cricket Australia)
Limits of a current-form ranking
- Any ranking that includes Khawaja must be dated to his January 2026 retirement (Cricket Australia)
- A current-form list goes stale as soon as the next series is played, so treat every ranking as a dated snapshot.
Current-form claims have the shortest shelf life in cricket reporting. A list that names a best player today should show its statistics and its date, or it is opinion.
The implication: readers asking who is best right now should expect a dated snapshot with named figures, not a verdict.
Three accounts, one pattern: the 2018 finding and the 2021 bowler denials both limit what the squad knew, while Khawaja’s 2026 account widens it.
| Account | Who gives it | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|
| Only Smith, Warner and Bancroft knew | Cricket Australia 2018 investigation (BD Times) | Reaffirmed by Cricket Australia (AAP News) |
| The whole touring party knew | Usman Khawaja, 2026 book (Sydney Morning Herald) | Contested; WhatTheFact rates it partly true with low confidence (WhatTheFact) |
| Bowlers did not know about the foreign substance | Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon, 2021 joint statement (Fox Sports Australia) | Stated on the record; not tested against independent review |
Seven dated points, one pattern: the bans and the bowlers’ denial sit in 2018 and 2021, and the team-wide claim surfaces only in late 2026.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Khawaja debuts at the Sydney Cricket Ground against England (Cricket Australia) | |
| Bancroft is caught on TV cameras using sandpaper on the ball at Cape Town (BBC Sport) | |
| Smith and Warner receive 12-month bans; Bancroft receives nine months (The Age (Melbourne newspaper)) | |
| Four bowlers issue a joint statement denying prior knowledge (Fox Sports Australia) | |
| Khawaja scores 232 against Sri Lanka at Galle, according to Wikipedia (encyclopedia) | |
| Khawaja retires from international cricket after 88 Tests (Cricket Australia) | |
| Khawaja’s memoir Sabr is reportedly published (WhatTheFact) |
Confirmed facts
- Bancroft was caught on TV using sandpaper in Cape Town, (BBC Sport)
- Smith and Warner received 12-month bans; Bancroft received nine months (Reuters)
- Khawaja retired in after 88 Tests (Cricket Australia)
What’s unclear
- Whether the whole touring party knew: Khawaja says yes, while the 2018 finding names three players (Sydney Morning Herald)
- Whether sandpaper first appeared at Gqeberha, which Khawaja asserts without independent verification (The Age)
- Whether Bancroft volunteered, a low-confidence claim from Khawaja (BD Times)
- Langer’s departure date and official reason, which no Cricket Australia statement in the research confirms
- Whether the team-wide claim can be settled without evidence the research pack does not contain, such as a formal review
“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.”
Usman Khawaja, former Australian Test batter, as reported by Sky Sports (UK broadcaster)
“We did not know a foreign substance was taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball until we saw the images on the big screen at Newlands.”
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, 2021 joint statement, as reported by Fox Sports Australia (sports broadcaster)
“Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft not only took the fall for the Australian cricket team, they also took it for cricketers around the world.”
Justin Langer, former Australian coach, as reported by News.com.au (national news site)
The unresolved question is one of accountability, not statistics: a former Test batter’s first-hand account now stands against an official finding and a joint bowler denial, and the research shows no independent check of either. Cricket Australia’s 2018 finding should stay the working record, and Khawaja’s book should be treated as testimony that needs testing before it rewrites the story.
Related reading: Shubman Gill career record and captaincy facts · Geoff Hurst 1966 World Cup record
Frequently asked questions
What was Sandpapergate?
Cameron Bancroft was caught on TV cameras using sandpaper on the ball in the third Test against South Africa at Cape Town, (BBC Sport).
How long were the bans?
Steve Smith and David Warner received 12-month bans, and Cameron Bancroft received nine months (Reuters).
Who says the whole touring party knew?
Usman Khawaja makes that claim in his memoir Sabr. A fact-checker rates it partly true with low confidence, because his presence and detail are real but team-wide knowledge is not established (WhatTheFact).
Has Cricket Australia changed its 2018 finding?
No. Cricket Australia says it remains comfortable with its finding that only Smith, Warner and Bancroft knew of the plot (AAP News (Australian wire service)).
How many Test runs has Khawaja scored?
Khawaja scored 6,229 runs in 88 Tests (BBC Sport).
Who did Khawaja approach in 2021?
Khawaja says he contacted Justin Langer and Todd Greenberg seeking collective team responsibility, then abandoned the attempt after the bowlers’ statement (The West Australian).
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Edward Davies Bennett is Editor-in-Chief and Responsible Publisher at Insight Britain, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and the corrections process.