Warner Backs Khawaja: Whole Dressing Room Knew About Sandpapergate, He Says

Former Australia opener David Warner has thrown his weight behind Usman Khawaja's claim that the whole Australian dressing room was aware of the ball-tampering scheme in Cape Town in 2018, describing the account as "100 per cent accurate."

The affair, known in Australia as Sandpapergate, erupted at Newlands in March 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the surface of the ball. Captain Steve Smith and Warner were the other central figures. Cricket Australia handed Smith and Warner 12-month bans and Bancroft a nine-month suspension, and all three were stripped of leadership or team roles in the aftermath.

How far the wider squad was involved has never been fully settled to everyone's satisfaction. The sanctions at the time landed on three players, and Khawaja's comments reopen a question that many fans and former players felt had been closed. Warner's endorsement carries weight because he was one of the men at the heart of the episode and has spent years living with the scrutiny that followed.

Expect the comments to draw attention from Australian media and from former teammates and officials, who will be asked whether they accept the claim. Whether it leads to any new formal inquiry is unclear, but it adds another chapter to a scandal that still shapes how the Australian side is viewed abroad.