Khawaja says promise to Warner prompted him to reveal truth about ball-tampering scandal
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New Delhi, Nov 8 : Usman Khawaja has revealed that a personal promise to childhood friend and teammate David Warner ultimately convinced him to speak openly about Australia’s infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal, insisting that former captain Steven Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft were unfairly left to shoulder the consequences of an episode involving the entire team.
With his autobiography Sabr set to be published on Tuesday, Khawaja has offered further insight into the events surrounding the Cape Town Test, maintaining that the three players who faced sanctions were not solely responsible for what unfolded during the South Africa tour.
In a series of videos posted on Instagram on Sunday, Khawaja defended the revelations in his book and dismissed suggestions that he was attempting to shift blame onto other members of the Australian team.
“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 what prompted him to revisit the controversy years after the incident, Khawaja said he had given Warner his word that he would eventually share his account of what happened.
“I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story,” Khawaja added. “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.”
The Pakistan-born Australian also maintained that his intention was never to single out individuals but to ensure that responsibility for the episode 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 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.”
Khawaja disclosed that his first attempt to make the matter public came soon after the sanctions were imposed on Smith, Warner and Bancroft following the 2018 Cape Town Test. However, Smith, who was leading Australia at the time, persuaded him against speaking to 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 subsequently considered speaking up again in 2021, following Bancroft’s interview with The Guardian, in which the former Australia opener suggested it was “self explanatory” that the bowlers would have known about the sandpaper used to alter the condition of the ball.
However, the joint statement released by Australia’s bowlers following Bancroft’s comments left Khawaja unwilling to publicly challenge his teammates while he was still part of the national setup. In an extract published by News Corp, he recalled the reaction within the dressing room, particularly Warner’s frustration.
“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 remaining silent while still playing international cricket was a conscious decision, explaining that he did not want to become the first member of the team to reopen a deeply 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.
He also explained that his position within the team made it difficult to speak independently, given the potential impact his comments could have had on the dressing room.
“So then you ask, why didn’t I say anything in those four years while I was still playing? You know what, I never wanted to be the first guy to chat 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 ever supposed to bring this up when I knew some of my team-mates didn’t want to talk about it? I knew everything I did or said always influenced and affected the team.
“I was always conscious of putting my team first, but I’m not in that team more. What I say now isn’t a reflection of them any more. Now my words don’t influence the team at all. I speak for myself.”
Khawaja’s latest comments have once again brought the 2018 scandal into focus, with the batter reiterating that his account is intended to challenge the perception that three individuals alone were responsible for an episode that, in his view, involved the wider Australian team.
With his autobiography Sabr set to be published on Tuesday, Khawaja has offered further insight into the events surrounding the Cape Town Test, maintaining that the three players who faced sanctions were not solely responsible for what unfolded during the South Africa tour.
In a series of videos posted on Instagram on Sunday, Khawaja defended the revelations in his book and dismissed suggestions that he was attempting to shift blame onto other members of the Australian team.
“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 what prompted him to revisit the controversy years after the incident, Khawaja said he had given Warner his word that he would eventually share his account of what happened.
“I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story,” Khawaja added. “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.”
The Pakistan-born Australian also maintained that his intention was never to single out individuals but to ensure that responsibility for the episode 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 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.”
Khawaja disclosed that his first attempt to make the matter public came soon after the sanctions were imposed on Smith, Warner and Bancroft following the 2018 Cape Town Test. However, Smith, who was leading Australia at the time, persuaded him against speaking to 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 subsequently considered speaking up again in 2021, following Bancroft’s interview with The Guardian, in which the former Australia opener suggested it was “self explanatory” that the bowlers would have known about the sandpaper used to alter the condition of the ball.
However, the joint statement released by Australia’s bowlers following Bancroft’s comments left Khawaja unwilling to publicly challenge his teammates while he was still part of the national setup. In an extract published by News Corp, he recalled the reaction within the dressing room, particularly Warner’s frustration.
“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 remaining silent while still playing international cricket was a conscious decision, explaining that he did not want to become the first member of the team to reopen a deeply 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.
He also explained that his position within the team made it difficult to speak independently, given the potential impact his comments could have had on the dressing room.
“So then you ask, why didn’t I say anything in those four years while I was still playing? You know what, I never wanted to be the first guy to chat 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 ever supposed to bring this up when I knew some of my team-mates didn’t want to talk about it? I knew everything I did or said always influenced and affected the team.
“I was always conscious of putting my team first, but I’m not in that team more. What I say now isn’t a reflection of them any more. Now my words don’t influence the team at all. I speak for myself.”
Khawaja’s latest comments have once again brought the 2018 scandal into focus, with the batter reiterating that his account is intended to challenge the perception that three individuals alone were responsible for an episode that, in his view, involved the wider Australian team.
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Note: The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the ap7am team.