Khawaja Claims Entire Australian Dressing Room Knew About Ball-Tampering

Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has said the entire dressing room knew about the ball-tampering incident in Cape Town in 2018, a claim that would widen a scandal that has long been treated as the work of a small group.

The affair came to light at Newlands in March 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the ball during the third Test against South Africa. Cricket Australia's response was swift. Steve Smith and David Warner were banned, Smith gave up the captaincy, and Bancroft received a nine-month suspension. The episode was among the most damaging in the country's sporting history and left a lasting mark on the team's image.

Khawaja's remarks push the story in a different direction. The official sanctions focused on the individuals involved, and his suggestion that the wider group was aware of what was happening raises the question of how far the knowledge really went. Coming from a former senior player, the comment is likely to draw fresh attention to what was said inside the squad at the time, and to whether the full picture has ever been told.

Whether the claim gains traction will depend on whether others who were part of that tour speak on the record. For now, it stands as a notable reopening of a story many in the sport had considered settled.