London [UK], November 7 (ANI): Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a sarcastic dig at Usman Khawaja's revelation about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, suggesting that the involvement of the entire Australian team was hardly a surprise.
He also questioned why the revelation had taken eight years to emerge, adding that it was time to move on from the controversy.
Eight years after the infamous Sandpapergate scandal, former Australian batter Usman Khawaja made a startling revelation on Saturday, claiming that the 2018 ball-tampering incident during the South Africa tour involved the entire Australian team, including players and support staff.
"So we finally now know the most hidden secret in the game … all the Aussie team knew about the sandpaper … 8 yrs later it all comes out … no shit Sherlock … now can we just move on," Vaughan wrote in an X post.
So we finally now know the most hidden secret in the game … all the Aussie team knew about the sandpaper … 8 yrs later it all comes out … no shit Sherlock … now can we just move on … 👍
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 6, 2026
Until now, the widely accepted account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, maintained by Cricket Australia (CA) and those involved, was that Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were the only players responsible. Smith and Warner received 12-month bans from international and domestic cricket, while Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension.
"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us. In an ideal world, I don't want to do this. I don't want to be the one who comes out and talks about the truth. The issue is that I genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now," Khawaja told Nine as per Cricinfo.
Khawaja said he had urged the Australian team to take collective responsibility for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, insisting that everyone knew what was happening. He expressed disappointment that Smith, Warner and Bancroft were left to shoulder the blame, adding that Warner had faced repeated criticism over the past eight years while remaining silent.
"Even in the change rooms when I was talking to them after the game. I said, 'Take this as a team'. We did this as a team. We knew what was going on, and we had to take it as a team, and so I was always of that stance. Obviously, it didn't work that way, and those three guys got crucified. I've seen Davey over the last eight years just get nailed bad over and over again, and it's taken a big man not to say anything and just to stay quiet," Khawaja added. (ANI)
