Khawaja Claims Australia Used Sandpaper in Port Elizabeth Too

Usman Khawaja has reopened one of cricket’s darkest chapters. In his autobiography, the former Australia opener claims the Sandpapergate ball tampering was not a one-off. He alleges sandpaper was used in Port Elizabeth too, and that the whole squad knew. His account of that collapse is startling.

Khawaja Reopens the Sandpapergate Wound

The scandal led Cricket Australia to ban Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft for months. Until now, the story centred on the Cape Town Test in 2018.

Khawaja’s book, released on Tuesday, suggests the story began earlier. He says Australia had already doctored the ball in the previous Test against South Africa, at Port Elizabeth, and that the cheating went unnoticed.

How Khawaja Says the Ball Was Altered

According to Khawaja, the tampering came during the interval at Port Elizabeth. He says the players had left the field when Bancroft walked back out and did something to the ball.

Bancroft and the Interval

Khawaja writes that Bancroft volunteered for the job. He says one side of the ball became so rough from the sandpaper that it started reverse swinging far earlier than normal.

“The next session, we absolutely went through the South Africans. Bangers had walked onto the field after the break, picked up the ball that the umpires had left on the field, and given it a few twists and turns. The ball came up a treat. The shiny side was shiny and, thanks to sandpaper, the reverse side was really rough and dry,” Khawaja wrote, as quoted by Cricinfo.

The Collapse at St George’s Park

The on-field result was dramatic. In the final session of the day, South Africa lost four wickets for just 28 runs while replying to Australia’s first-innings 243.

Khawaja says he could see the effect himself. Whenever the ball reached him at gully, he looked at it and thought that even he could reverse swing it.

“It was ridiculous. The bowlers then went to work and bowled beautifully. Reversing it around corners. We got four wickets for 28 runs,” he wrote.

‘Don’t Do Anything Else to It’

One detail stands out. Khawaja says the ball was moving so much that a bowler told the huddle after a wicket not to touch it again.

“Guys, it’s going heaps now. Just don’t do anything else to it, because it’s silly how much it’s going,” the bowler reportedly said.

Khawaja adds that most players laughed. He says nobody planned to do more, because the damage had been done straight after the break.

Whole Team Knew, Says Khawaja

The claim that carries the most weight is about knowledge. Khawaja says it was not just Smith, Warner and Bancroft who knew what was happening. He says everyone in the Australian team was aware of the plan to use sandpaper.

The BBC reports the same claim, that the entire squad knew about the sandpaper use during that 2018 series against South Africa.

Khawaja also anticipates the obvious question about Cape Town.

“I know what you’re probably thinking right now. Didn’t you guys get caught in Cape Town, not Port Elizabeth? Yes, we did, but who said we didn’t do it in the game before as well?”

Why It Matters

These are Khawaja’s own claims, published in his own book. They have not been independently verified here. They do challenge the long-held view of Sandpapergate as a single act by a small group.

If his version holds, the Port Elizabeth collapse looks very different. South Africa’s slide from 4 for 28 may have owed as much to a roughened ball as to the bowling.

Expect plenty of debate. Fans, former players and officials will all want to weigh in on what this means for the scandal’s legacy.