David Warner Backs Usman Khawaja’s Account of Australia’s 2018 Ball-Tampering Scandal

David Warner has publicly supported former teammate Usman Khawaja’s claims about what Australian players knew during the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, according to the report. Warner said he backed Khawaja “100%” after the allegations resurfaced through Khawaja’s new autobiography. Khawaja’s account says the team knew about a plan to use sandpaper on the ball to produce reverse swing during the Test against South Africa in Cape Town. At the time, Cameron Bancroft was caught on television tampering with the ball. Bancroft received a nine-month ban, while captain Steve Smith and vice-captain Warner were each suspended for a year. The report says no other members of the team accepted responsibility. In 2021, bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a statement denying they knew about the plan. Their position has drawn renewed attention following Khawaja’s claim that “all of us” were aware. Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg has rejected calls for a new investigation. Speaking to SEN, Greenberg said the organisation saw no compelling reason to reopen the matter and remained satisfied with the outcome reached in 2018. He added that Khawaja’s version differed from accounts given by other players, who, he said, had maintained their position since the scandal. Greenberg also said the board believed there was no benefit in revisiting decisions made under the organisation’s previous leadership. The controversy may still come up with players: stand-in one-day captain Mitch Marsh was part of the 2018 series and, according to the report, is expected to face questions in the coming days. Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood have been rested from Australia’s current white-ball series against England.