Usman Khawaja Unpacks The Pact With David Warner That Fuelled His Sandpaper Gate Revelations

Usman Khawaja has clarified that his remarks on Australia’s 2018 South Africa ball-tampering scandal were not meant to cast current players or others on that tour, including himself, as victims.

In an Instagram video, Khawaja said the burden of the fallout fell elsewhere and insisted he had not singled out teammates.

“I have not thrown anyone under the bus. 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 aren’t the victims," Khawaja said in an Instagram video.

In his first video on Sunday, November 8, Khawaja said his earlier line, “it was all of us”, meant the whole squad shared responsibility for the incident. He also said he could not dismiss the chance that everyone knew what had happened.

Earlier Silence Explained

Khawaja said he spoke now because of a promise to David Warner, whom he described as a childhood friend. He framed Warner and the others who took the blame as the people who suffered most from the scandal.

“These three guys took the blame for all of us. They are the victims. People telling them that they are cheats, getting nailed by the crowd, public humiliation. I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth, so he could tell a story," Khawaja said.

He defended that decision in stronger terms in the same video.

“I am absolutely 100% 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. These three guys deserve justice and I have not pointed fingers at anyone," Khawaja added.

Earlier Silence Explained

Khawaja said he had thought about speaking out twice before but held back on both occasions. The first time, he said, Steve Smith persuaded him not to go public.

He later felt unable to speak after a 2021 statement from the bowlers. That statement denied any prior knowledge of the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball.

The bowlers also said they were disappointed that their integrity had been questioned. They insisted that they took pride in their honesty, Reuters reported.

Sandpaper Scandal Fallout

The episode dates back to Australia’s infamous South African tour, when the team was engulfed in a scandal over the use of sandpaper to tamper with the ball. Khawaja’s latest comments revisit that tour by arguing that responsibility was broader than the few players who eventually carried the blame in public.

The fallout did not end with the initial admissions. The bowlers later denied knowing about the sandpaper plan in advance and pushed back against suggestions that they were involved, Reuters reported.

That response became a key part of the story again after Khawaja’s videos. By saying the team shared responsibility while also describing Warner and the others as the real victims of public abuse, Khawaja has reopened debate over how the scandal’s blame was spread.