Khawaja reveals details of infamous ball-tampering scandal in autobiography
What's the story
Former Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has opened up about the infamous ball-tampering scandal in his autobiography, Sabr. The book, which was published on Tuesday, sheds light on how Australia used sandpaper to manipulate the ball during a 2018 Test match against South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Khawaja does not name individual bowlers during his recounting of what took place but admits that they all made mistakes as a team and remained silent for years.
Pre-match caution
'This isn't shield cricket'
Before the Cape Town Test, Cameron Bancroft had volunteered to use sandpaper on the ball.
Khawaja warned him that "this isn't Shield cricket" with all the cameras around.
He recalled how South Africa started their innings strong at 153 for 2, but Australia managed to turn things around in the next session and took four wickets for just 28 runs.
Game-changing moment
Bancroft gave the ball a few twists and turns
Khawaja described how Bancroft picked up the ball after the break and gave it a few twists and turns, making it ideal for reverse swing.
He wrote, "Every time during the session the ball was passed to me at gully, I'd take a look and think, wow, even I could reverse swing this ball."
The bowlers then capitalized on this opportunity to bowl beautifully and take four wickets for 28 runs.
Denial and disappointment
Khawaja wanted to go public before the Johannesburg Test
Khawaja expressed his frustration when one of the bowlers denied knowing anything about the ball tampering on a TV show.
He recalled David Warner was seething after watching the clip.
Khawaja wanted to go public before the final Test in Johannesburg but was told by then-coach Darren Lehmann that it would only make things worse as punishments had already been handed down.
Ashes insight
Australia worked on the pink ball in Ashes series
In his autobiography, Khawaja also recalls how the ball was worked on during the 2017-18 Ashes series before their South Africa tour.
He wrote about reverse swinging the pink ball in Perth and Adelaide Tests.
The team had figured out that if they raised the flaps up on the quarter seam of that ball, it would almost act like a rudder and start reverse swinging.
ClaimsÂ
Khawaja's explosive claims shook the cricket worldÂ
A few days before the release of his book, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian cricket team was involved in the infamous sandpaper incident in 2018.
Warner also supported Khawaja's account, calling it "100% accurate," while criticizing CA's original investigation as "rushed and botched."
However, Cricket Australia (CA) CEO Todd Greenberg has said there is no reason to reopen the investigation into the infamous scandal.