What Happened During Sandpaper Gate? Australian Coach Denies Shocking Claims Made By Usman Khawaja In His Book

Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has rejected Usman Khawaja’s claim that the entire team knew about the ball-tampering plan during the third Test against South Africa in 2018.

Khawaja’s account appears in his upcoming autobiography Sabr, extracts of which were published by The Sydney Morning Herald. The episode led to major bans after South African broadcasters showed Australian players using sandpaper to scuff the ball.

Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were each banned for a year from international cricket after the footage emerged. Lehmann was Australia coach during that tour and stepped down before the final Test of the series.

Khawaja's Autobiography Claims

In Sabr, extracts of which were published by The Sydney Morning Herald, Khawaja wrote that the entire Australian team knew about the ploy. He also wrote that discussions about using sandpaper had started during the previous Test in Port Elizabeth.

That account clashes with the position taken by Australia’s main bowlers. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have maintained that they were unaware of the incident.

Lehmann's Defence Stance

Lehmann has denied any wider knowledge.

Lehmann, who stepped down as Australia coach before the final Test of the 2018 series, insisted he was not aware of the players’ plan to use sandpaper on the ball. “I don’t think everyone would have known,” Lehmann told ABC Grandstand.

He then widened the point beyond that single match. “But you do know ball-tampering is going on because it’s been happening for 150 years. So it’s just how it’s being done and how you would know to that extent, I suppose, and how the bowlers would know, how other players would know,” he said.

Lehmann also said he could not speak for others involved and accepted the fallout from the episode. “So that’s an individual case by case… on the players and I suppose they’ll respond with their thoughts and what they know. I can’t speak for them at all. I can only know what I know and I know that ball-tampering was a big part of the game of cricket. Now it’s obsolete. But that doesn’t make it right either, but that’s the case, and we paid a heavy price for that. We paid a heavy price for that and we’ve just got to accept the consequences that came our way at the time and try and move forward with that,” he said.