'Call Me A Chicken': Usman Khawaja Explains Years Of Silence Over Sandpapergate

Usman Khawaja has revealed that a personal promise to childhood friend and former teammate David Warner ultimately convinced him to speak openly about Australia's infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal, insisting that Steven Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft were unfairly left to bear the consequences of an episode involving the entire team. With his autobiography Sabr set to be released on Tuesday, Khawaja has provided further insight into the events surrounding the Cape Town Test, maintaining that the three players sanctioned in the aftermath were not the only individuals aware of what transpired during the South Africa tour.

In a series of videos posted on Instagram on Sunday, Khawaja defended the revelations made in his book and dismissed suggestions that he was attempting to shift blame onto other members of the Australian side.

"I haven't thrown anyone under the bus," Khawaja said.

"The guys who are currently in the team right now and the other people who 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 were calling them cheats, they were getting targeted by crowds and subjected to public humiliation."

Explaining why he chose to revisit the controversy after so many years, Khawaja said he had made a promise to Warner to eventually share his version of events.

"I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell his story," Khawaja said.

"I'm absolutely, 100 per cent unapologetic about that. I've stood up for cricketers before through the ACA, fighting for what I believed was right. This is no different."

Khawaja reiterated that his intention was never to single out individuals but to ensure responsibility for the incident was acknowledged collectively.

"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 all of us, me included, to take responsibility together as a team so we can finally move on from this. And you know what? I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Khawaja also disclosed that he initially considered speaking publicly soon after the sanctions were handed to Smith, Warner and Bancroft following the 2018 Cape Town Test. However, then-captain Smith persuaded him not to go ahead.

"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 wasn't having any of it. That was the first time I tried to come out and say something."

He again considered speaking publicly in 2021 after Bancroft told The Guardian that it was "self-explanatory" the bowlers would have known about the use of sandpaper.

However, a joint statement issued by Australia's bowlers after Bancroft's comments convinced Khawaja not to publicly challenge his teammates while he was still part of the national setup.

In an extract published by News Corp, Khawaja recalled Warner's frustration at the time.

"This really psed me off, but not as much as it psed Davy off," Khawaja wrote.

"I got some pretty heated texts that night. I'm not sure about Smudge, but I'm sure he wasn't thrilled."

Khawaja acknowledged that remaining silent while still an active international cricketer was a deliberate decision because he did not want to reopen a divisive issue within the dressing room.

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

He added that his position within the side made it difficult to speak independently because of the potential impact his comments could have had on team dynamics.

"So then you ask, why didn't I say anything during those four years while I was still playing? I never wanted to be the first guy to talk 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 supposed to bring this up when I knew some of my teammates didn't want to talk about it? I always knew everything I said or did could influence the team."

"I always put the team first. But I'm not in that team anymore. What I say now is not a reflection of them. My words don't influence the team anymore. I speak for myself."

Khawaja's latest comments have once again placed the 2018 ball-tampering scandal under the spotlight, with the former opener maintaining that his version of events is aimed at challenging the perception that three individuals alone were responsible for an incident that, in his view, involved the wider Australian team.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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