Usman Khawaja’s highly anticipated autobiography has finally landed.
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autobiography → anticipate → ?
Here are some of the allegations worth knowing from Sabr, particularly from chapter 17, titled “Sandpaper”, which revisits the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
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which → know → scandal
Amid a series of disclosures in the book, which was released publicly on Tuesday, Khawaja suggested the entire Australian team knew about the plot to use sandpaper on the ball in the third Test against South Africa eight years ago and the tactic had also been deployed in the previous Test, in Gqeberha.
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tactic → release → Gqeberha
While Khawaja doesn’t explicitly say specific players knew of the plot to use sandpaper to tamper with the ball, he implies that everyone in the Australian dressing room knew what was going on.
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what → say → room
Meanwhile, Khawaja alleges members of Australia’s coaching staff in 2016 had a “serious issue” with drinking and reveals his disappointment with teammate Travis Head over the “pain and stress” caused by him publicly declaring he had always wanted to open the batting after his match-winning century against England in last summer’s Ashes Test in Perth.
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he → allege → Perth
Khawaja also details how he was racially abused in the Lord’s long room in 2023.
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he → detail → 2023
On Sandpapergate
Before the 2018 Test series against South Africa, Khawaja says a member of Australia’s coaching staff talked about wanting players to work on the ball to make it swing more, saying “I don’t care what you have to do”.
“I personally never tampered with a ball – in terms of scratching it or anything – but I knew everything that was going on and I wasn’t against it, which makes me complicit,” Khawaja wrote.
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Khawaja → say → it
“Everything you might have heard or read about what happened … in South Africa in the sandpaper controversy isn’t entirely true.
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what → hear → controversy
The cricket team management and Cricket Australia board at the time had their own agendas and they tried their best at damage control and to cover up as much as they could.
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they → have → much
“I won’t speak on behalf of any other players – that’s for them to talk about.
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them → speak → players
Of course, I bloody knew what was happening with the sandpaper.
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what → know → sandpaper
“I always wanted to talk about it.
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I → want → it
I never said I didn’t know about the sandpaper issue – not to anyone or any news organisation.
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I → say → anyone
I would never blatantly lie like that.”
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I → lie → that
On the use of sandpaper by the team
Khawaja goes into detail on how the sandpaper was actually used in the second Test in Port Elizabeth, one before the infamous match in Cape Town.
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sandpaper → go → Town
“We all knew that the umpire would drop the ball on the boundary as we went out onto the field.
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we → know → field
We could then do whatever we wanted.
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we → do → whatever
Straightaway, Bull [David Warner] said, ‘Well, I can’t do it – they’re all over me.’
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they → say → me
I was never going to do it, nor did I think anyone else would.
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anyone → go → it
So I just laughed.
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I → laugh → ?
Then, Cameron Bancroft, who was only six games into his Test career and maybe wanting to fit in, said, ‘I’ll do it.’
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I → want → it
“When something becomes so prevalent – like doping was in the Tour de France for years – it’s hard not to join in.
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it → become → years
Not that it makes it right.”
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it → make → ?
On other bowlers knowing
Khawaja alleges the ball was moving so dramatically at one point that some Australian players asked those responsible for tampering with it to leave it alone.
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players → know → it
“One of the bowlers said in the huddle after a wicket, ‘Guys, it’s going heaps now.
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it → say → wicket
Just don’t do anything else to it, because it’s silly how much it’s going.’
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it → do → it
Most of us just laughed.”
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Most → laugh → us
On the coach’s instruction
Khawaja says an unnamed coach told Bancroft: “Whatever you’re doing, we need more of it.”
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we → say → it
“Then I saw Bangers pick up a piece of sandpaper and put it in his pocket,” Khawaja wrote.
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Khawaja → see → pocket
“The coach gave both me and Cameron a wry smile of satisfaction and walked away.
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coach → give → satisfaction
The push from this coach, though, obviously made him feel like he had to do it more often.”
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he → make → it
How the drama unfolded
Captain Steve Smith told Bancroft to put the sandpaper away, while Khawaja encouraged the youngster to get off the field.
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Khawaja → unfold → field
He didn’t know what to do.
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He → know → what
Every one of the boys on the field then was shitting themselves.
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one → shit → themselves
“Then on the big screen came the biggest shock.
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shock → come → screen
It showed Cameron taking the sandpaper and putting it in his undies.
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Cameron → show → undies
By this stage, we knew: we’d f---ed up and f---ed up hard.”
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we → know → stage
“Kick in the guts” on being overlooked for Test captain
Khawaja said he was upset Tim Paine was appointed interim captain after Smith was sent home from Cape Town.
“I was a natural selection for interim captain, but was overlooked.
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I → overlook → captain
I knew why.
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I → know → ?
One reason was that I’d been a main protagonist during those pay disputes with CA and the board – and the board was who appointed the captain.
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who → appoint → captain
…and 84 more, not listed.
The Aporia
