‘Made a promise to my friend’: Uzzie responds to backlash from explosive Sandpaper claims

Usman Khawaja has continued to shed light on Australia’s infamous Sandpapergate scandal, taking to social media to respond to media reports of his revelations on the ball-tampering saga in his autobiography Sabr, which is set for release on Tuesday.

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Khawaja made the claim that two players objected to his idea for the team to take collective responsibility for the scandal, while he also said that sandpaper was used in the second Test of the infamous 2018 South Africa series and that every touring party member knew about the plan.

Those claims have sparked a media frenzy this weekend, and Khawaja responded to the way in which his comments have been reported, and the backlash they have sparked.

“Alright, it’s time to clear up some facts because the media has taken this to the moon, as expected,” he said in a social media video on Sunday morning.

“I stayed quiet yesterday but number one, if you read my article you would have seen when I mentioned it was all of us that’s implying that, whether we like it or not, we are all responsible for what happened. Together, as a team, we need to take that collectively. That is all.

“But now that everyone’s talking, am I going to deny that everyone knew? Nah. I won’t deny that either.

“But I never speak on behalf of anyone else in my book. Contrary to all the headlines the clickbait media would have you think.”

After showing an excerpt from his book that said he does not speak on anyone else’s behalf, Khawaja added: “Don’t get caught up in this s***.”

Khawaja then addressed the accusations of “why now” he was sharing his version of events.

“Because I’ve been trying to take this as a team right from the start,” he said. “You can believe my story or not.

“But the fact is, I wrote everything that happened down a few days later after Cape Town. So, you can question my story, no issue. But my memory? I’m not sure about that.

“When the other guys got their penalties, I told Smudge that I was going to come clean to the media. I couldn’t believe the penalties that he got. But Smudge being the leader, the man that he is talked me out of it.

“You can read it. It’s in my book. He wanted to take the blame. I argued with him. He was having none of it.”

Khawaja also went on to say: “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 and now my words don’t influence the team at all. I speak for myself.

“But even so, I refused to publish any of this while the boys were still in South Africa. That’s why I called Pat (Cummins).

“Why would someone who really wants to the increase the sale of his book refuse the greatest marketing opportunity he has?”

He added: “I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus... those three guys who took the blame for all of us, they’re the victims.”

Khawaja then wrapped up the second part of the video by saying: “Lastly, I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner I would tell the truth so he could tell a story.

“I’m absolutely 100% unapologetic for that. I’ve stuck up for all cricketers with the ACA fighting for what I thought was right. This is no different. These three guys deserve justice.”

During the third Test in Cape Town against the Proteas eight years ago, Cameron Bancroft was captured on camera using yellow sandpaper to scuff the ball and gain reverse swing.

The scandal sent shockwaves through Australian cricket, with then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner subsequently handed 12-month bans, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension.

But according to Code Sports, Khawaja claimed in one excerpt from his autobiography that two teammates took a “ludicrous” stance against his plan to take collective responsibility for the cheating scandal.

Khawaja is said to reveal that he wanted the team to show a unified front and all accept responsibility, but that manager Gavin Dovey told him that two players objected to that plan.

“This was the most disappointing thing for me,’’ Khawaja wrote.

“I knew who those two guys were and it was ludicrous out of everyone it was them. It showed me their true colours though. When the going got tough all they cared about was themselves. But I was not going to stop fighting this cause.’’

Khawaja’s emotions boiled to the surface once again a few years later when Bancroft told The Guardian it was “self explanatory’’ when asked if the bowlers knew about the Sandpaper plan.

That prompted Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon to release a statement reiterating their denial of any knowledge of the Sandpaper scandal.

Khawaja is said to have called then Australian coach Justin Langer the morning after Bancroft’s interview was published and Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO Todd Greenberg, once again stressing “we should all take it as a team” and “not just the bowlers”.

Khawaja claimed that Langer and Greenberg both agreed, only for the statement from the bowlers to come out and stop any chance of that happening.

“This really pissed me off but not as much as it pissed Davy off,’’ Khawaja wrote.

“I got some pretty heated texts that night.

“I’m not sure about Smudge (Smith) but I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled.’’

As for how the Sandpaper plot was hatched, Khawaja claimed that the use of sandpaper was first discussed and used by the Australians during the previous Test in Port Elizabeth.

Via Nine newspapers, Khawaja recalled that “open, lighthearted discussions” were had in the St George’s Park dressing room “about how to find ways to rough up the ball, culminating in the discovery of sandpaper as an effective agent”.

Cricket Australia’s subsequent investigation identified only three players - Bancroft, Warner and Smith - as being involved in the scandal, with Smith found to have known of the plan, but failed to prevent it.

But Khawaja criticised CA for an “unthorough investigation conducted as if they did not want to find out the whole truth’’ and added that “when the s*** hit the fan the big dogs at CA didn’t want to know.”.

He also revealed a very different version of events.

“It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us,” Khawaja told The Sydney Morning Herald.

He added: “In an ideal world, I don’t want to do this … I don’t want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now.

“Maybe I thought Davey would have exposed it, or someone else would have talked about it more. I just didn’t think it was going to come down to this. But the longer it’s gone on for, and right from the very start, I’ve been on the train of collectively taking it.”

CA issued an official statement in response to the explosive revelations.

“There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month’s series in South Africa,” the statement said, via Nine.

“During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case.

“All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered, and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process.”

Former English cricketer Michael Vaughan was one to react on social media on Saturday.

Khawaja’s understanding contradicts a joint statement issued by Australia’s bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon in 2021, in which they denied knowing a foreign substance had been taken onto the field to alter the ball’s condition.

“We pride ourselves on our honesty ... 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,” the statement read.

Khawaja had previously alerted Cummins and Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg to the contents of his autobiography, with the Australian captain publicly declaring last month that the playing group had moved on from the scandal.