New Delhi, November 8, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Australia batter Usman Khawaja has revealed that a personal promise to childhood friend and former teammate David Warner convinced him to speak openly about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, maintaining that Steven Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft were unfairly made to bear responsibility for an episode involving the wider Australian team.
With his autobiography Sabr set to be published on Tuesday, Khawaja has offered further details about the controversy surrounding the Cape Town Test in South Africa. In videos posted on Instagram on Sunday, he defended the revelations in his book and denied trying to shift blame onto other teammates.
“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.”
Explaining why he decided to revisit the controversy, Khawaja said, “I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story. I’m absolutely 100 percent 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.”
He said his intention was to ensure that responsibility was acknowledged collectively rather than singling out individuals. “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,” he added.
Khawaja disclosed that he had first considered speaking publicly soon after sanctions were imposed on Smith, Warner and Bancroft following the 2018 Cape Town Test. However, Smith, who was Australia’s captain at the time, persuaded him not to address the media.
“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 also considered speaking up in 2021 after Bancroft told The Guardian that it was “self explanatory” that the bowlers would have known about the sandpaper used to alter the ball’s condition. However, a joint statement issued by Australia’s bowlers following Bancroft’s comments made Khawaja reluctant to challenge teammates while still part of the national team.
In an extract published by News Corp, Khawaja recalled Warner’s reaction to the developments, writing: “This really p**sed me off but not as much as it pissed 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 but I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled.”
Khawaja acknowledged that he consciously remained silent during his international career because he did not want to become the first player to reopen the divisive issue.
“I wasn’t going to go to war with those guys back then. I just wasn’t comfortable. That’s the truth,” he said.
Explaining why he had waited until now, Khawaja said he was conscious of how his comments could affect the dressing room while he was still playing for Australia. He added that, having moved on from the team, he could now speak in a personal capacity without his words being seen as representing his former teammates.
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