Usman Khawaja, a former Australia Test cricketer, has claimed in his new autobiography that the entire Australian team knew of a plan to rub the ball with sandpaper to achieve reverse swing. Cricket Australia's chief executive has since rejected the possibility of re-investigating the 2018 incident. The claim has renewed attention on a scandal that first surfaced during the Cape Town Test against South Africa.
What Khawaja has claimed
In the book, Khawaja says that everyone in the squad was aware of the scheme. Reverse swing is a effect that makes a cricket ball move late in the air, and the plan was to roughen one side of the ball to achieve it, which is the core of what is called ball tampering. His account has raised questions about what other players said at the time and about their later public positions.
The scandal was first exposed in 2018. At that time, only three players faced action. Cameron Bancroft, who was caught on television cameras tampering with the ball, received a nine-month ban, while captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner each received one-year bans. No other player publicly accepted responsibility.
Cricket Australia's response
Cricket Australia's chief executive has rejected the possibility of re-investigating the incident, which keeps the matter closed for now. The board's position follows Khawaja's claim that the whole team was in on the plan. Cricket Australia is the national governing body of the sport in Australia, and its chief executive leads its day-to-day operations.
Current captain Pat Cummins and the bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement in 2021 saying they had no knowledge of the plan. Khawaja's comments have now led to questions over that earlier stance. David Warner, a friend and former teammate of Khawaja, has fully backed his claim.
What happens next
Khawaja's claim has put the 2021 statement and the earlier bans back under scrutiny. The immediate position of Cricket Australia is that the case will not be reopened. The next thing to watch is whether the players named in the 2021 statement respond to the questions being raised.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Usman Khawaja ne apni nayi kitab mein kaha hai ke 2018 ke sandpaper scandal ke waqt poori Australian team ko is plan ka ilm tha. Cricket Australia ke chief executive ne is maamle ki dobara tehqeeqat ka imkaan rad kar diya hai. Us waqt sirf Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith aur David Warner ko saza mili thi. Pakistan mein aam logon ke rozmarra kaam par is ka seedha asar nahi hai, lekin cricket ke shaiqeen ke liye yeh purani baat phir sawal ban rahi hai.
