Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit back at Usman Khawaja’s claim that he used the 2018 ball-tampering scandal for political gain, as Khawaja’s newly released autobiography reopens the sandpaper affair.
Khawaja took aim at Turnbull in his book Sabr, writing that Turnbull “had no idea about cricket” and “was trying to use this as political leverage on his already failing prime ministership”.
Turnbull, who is overseas, told this masthead on Wednesday he stood by what he said at the time. “I’m surprised that Usman thinks the only reason this was big deal was because the prime minister said he was disappointed,” he said. “I think every Australian was disappointed. I don’t think I said anything unusual or remarkable.”
The 2018 scandal came to light during the third Test at Newlands, South Africa, when Cameron Bancroft was caught with sandpaper on the field. Warner and then captain Steve Smith were each banned for a year, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban.
Turnbull said on the day the news broke that he had spoken to Cricket Australia chairman David Peever and expressed his “disappointment and concern”. He described the events as a shocking disappointment and said they were wrong. Warner’s manager James Erskine said this week that CA had been reacting to what Turnbull said by imposing heavy penalties.
Asked whether CA should reopen its investigation, Turnbull replied: “I don’t want to express a view on what Cricket Australia should or should not do, eight years on and from the other end of the world.” He added: “If indeed Steve Smith took the blame for a lot of other people who didn’t put their hand up, others who didn’t should maybe reflect on that. They should reflect on their silence, if what Khawaja says is right. I know there are some people who contest it.”
Khawaja and Warner have criticised CA’s investigation as not thorough. Khawaja said he was not even interviewed despite sitting next to Bancroft in the dressing room at Newlands.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The sandpapergate scandal permanently tarnished the reputation of Australian cricket and led to one-year bans on captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, reshaping the national team.
- Khawaja’s memoir alleges political interference and a flawed CA investigation, questioning whether the punishments were fair and whether all those involved were held to account.
- The renewed debate could pressure CA to revisit the investigation or clarify its handling of the affair, affecting public trust in the sport’s governance.
Background
The ball-tampering incident occurred on 24 March 2018 during the third Test between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town. Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper on the ball and later admitted tampering. Cricket Australia suspended Steve Smith and David Warner for 12 months and Bancroft for nine months, after an internal investigation. The scandal led to widespread criticism of Australia’s team culture and resignations of senior officials including coach Darren Lehmann. The affair has been re-examined several times since, with some players and commentators questioning the severity of the punishments and the investigation’s completeness.
Key Perspectives
Usman Khawaja: In his autobiography Sabr, Khawaja writes that then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull “had no idea about cricket” and “was trying to use this as political leverage on his already failing prime ministership”. He also criticised Cricket Australia’s investigation, saying it was not carried out thoroughly.
Malcolm Turnbull: Turnbull says he is “surprised that Usman thinks the only reason this was big deal was because the prime minister said he was disappointed”. He stands by his remarks at the time and adds that if Steve Smith took the blame for others, they “should reflect on their silence”.
James Erskine (David Warner’s manager): Erskine said this week that CA had been reacting to Turnbull’s comments by imposing heavy penalties.
What to Watch
- Whether Cricket Australia responds to calls to reopen its investigation, or provides further detail on how the 2018 inquiry was conducted.
- Whether further players or officials speak out to confirm or challenge Khawaja’s account of the investigation and the events at Newlands.
- Any new revelations from the ongoing tour of England or from upcoming interviews by Khawaja promoting his book.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedTurnbull hit back at Khawaja’s claim that he used the sandpaper scandal for political gain.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit back at claims by Usman Khawaja that he had used the sandpaper scandal for political gain.”
- SupportedKhawaja’s autobiography brought the 2018 ball-tampering affair back into the limelight.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Khawaja took aim at the ex-prime minister in his newly released autobiography, Sabr , which has thrust the 2018 ball-tampering affair back in the limelight.”
- SupportedKhawaja wrote that Turnbull “had no idea about cricket” and “was trying to use this as political leverage on his already failing prime ministership”.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““Even the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who had no idea about cricket [...] had his two cents about the topic. “I felt like he was trying to use this as political leverage on his already failing prime ministership.””
- SupportedTurnbull, who was overseas, told the outlet on Wednesday that he stood by what he had said at the time.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Turnbull, who is overseas, told this masthead on Wednesday he stood by what he said at the time.”
- SupportedTurnbull said he was surprised Khawaja thought the affair became a big deal because the prime minister said he was disappointed.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““I’m surprised that Usman thinks the only reason this was big deal was because the prime minister said he was disappointed,” he said.”
- SupportedTurnbull said people who did not put their hand up should reflect if Khawaja’s account was right.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““If indeed Steve Smith took the blame for a lot of other people who didn’t put their hand up, others who didn’t should maybe reflect on that. They should reflect on their silence, if what Khawaja says is right.””
- SupportedThe ball-tampering scandal came to light during the third Test at Newlands when Bancroft was caught with sandpaper on the field.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “following the infamous third day’s play of the third Test at Newlands, where Cameron Bancroft was caught with sandpaper on the field.”
- SupportedWarner and Smith were each banned for a year, and Bancroft received a nine-month ban.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Warner and then captain Smith were each banned for a year while Bancroft copped nine months.”
- SupportedTurnbull said he had spoken to Cricket Australia chairman David Peever and expressed his disappointment and concern about the events in South Africa.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “saying he had spoken to CA chairman David Peever and “expressed to him very clearly and unequivocally my disappointment and my concern about the events in South Africa”.”
- SupportedJames Erskine said this week that Cricket Australia had reacted to Turnbull’s comments by imposing heavy penalties.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “David Warner’s manager James Erskine said this week that CA had been reacting to what Turnbull had said by imposing such heavy penalties on players.”
- SupportedTurnbull declined to express a view on whether Cricket Australia should reopen its investigation.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: ““I don’t want to express a view on what Cricket Australia should or should not do, eight years on and from the other end of the world.””
- SupportedKhawaja said he was not interviewed in the investigation despite sitting next to Bancroft in the dressing room at Newlands.Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News: “Khawaja said he was not even interviewed as part of the process even though he sat next to Bancroft in the dressing-room at Newlands.”