Usman Khawaja drops bombshell: Entire Australia team knew about 2018 Sandpapergate cheating scandal

More than eight years after one of cricket's biggest scandals, former Australian batter Usman Khawaja has made a stunning revelation.

Remember the infamous Sandpapergate scandal that rocked Australian cricket during their 2018 tour of South Africa?

Well, according to Khawaja, the entire Australian team knew what was happening.

Not just Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, the three players who were punished.

"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja told the Sydney Morning Herald ahead of the release of his autobiography, Sabr.

His claims have reopened one of the most controversial chapters in Australian cricket history.

What really happened in 2018?

The scandal erupted during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2018.

Television cameras caught Cameron Bancroft attempting to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper, triggering a massive controversy.

Cricket Australia's investigation concluded that only three players had prior knowledge of the plan.

Captain Steve Smith and vice captain David Warner received 12 month suspensions, while Bancroft was banned for nine months.

However, Khawaja now claims that discussions about using sandpaper had taken place much earlier.

According to him, Australia had already used the tactic during the second Test in Port Elizabeth.

He also claimed that Smith walked away from a dressing room discussion about sandpaper, apparently not wanting to know what was happening.

These are Khawaja's allegations, rather than independently established findings.

Khawaja wanted the entire team to take responsibility

Khawaja revealed that he had urged the Australian dressing room to accept collective responsibility after Bancroft was caught.

He believed it was unfair that only three players were punished when, according to his account, others knew about the plan.

The former opener also admitted that he had expected someone to reveal the full story long before now.

He said he never imagined that he would be the one speaking about it eight years later.

However, his claims directly contradict the position taken by Australia's bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon.

In 2021, the four bowlers publicly denied knowing that sandpaper had been taken onto the field to alter the ball's condition.

Cricket Australia and Darren Lehmann respond

Cricket Australia has defended its original investigation following Khawaja's revelations.

The governing body said it remained confident in the findings of its investigation, while maintaining that any new evidence could still be considered.

Meanwhile, former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has rejected Khawaja's suggestion that everyone in the Australian camp knew about the sandpaper plan.

Speaking to ABC Sport on Saturday, November 7, Lehmann denied having personal knowledge of the use of sandpaper.

He acknowledged that ball tampering had been widespread in international cricket but insisted that he could not speak for what every individual knew.

Lehmann also said he could not confirm Khawaja's account of a dressing room discussion about taking collective responsibility because he was not present.

The former Australian coach, who stepped down following the scandal, said the latest revelations had brought back painful memories.

Eight years after Sandpapergate shook Australian cricket, Khawaja's revelations have once again raised a major question.

Did only three players know about the cheating, or was the truth much bigger than the original investigation suggested?

For now, the claims remain disputed, but the controversy surrounding one of cricket's darkest episodes is back in the spotlight.