Warner breaks his silence
David Warner has thrown his weight behind Usman Khawaja’s explosive claim that Australia’s entire dressing room knew about the ball-tampering plan in Cape Town in 2018. In a video statement on Instagram today, the former opener called Khawaja’s account “100 per cent accurate”.
Khawaja made the claim ahead of his autobiography, writing that “open, lighthearted discussions” about tampering ran through the whole group. “It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff,” he said. He added that he had promised his childhood friend Warner he would one day tell his side.
Warner, who retired from Test cricket in 2024 with 112 caps, went after the process that followed the scandal. Cricket Australia’s investigation was, in his words, “rushed and botched”. He pointed out that Khawaja sat next to Cameron Bancroft during the Newlands Test and was never interviewed. “How is that a thorough investigation? It baffles me,” Warner said.
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The bowlers’ 2021 denial
Warner, Steve Smith and Bancroft were all suspended over the plan to rough up the ball with sandpaper in the third Test. Until now, nobody else on that tour had admitted any involvement. In 2021, the bowling unit of Pat Cummins, now Australia’s captain, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon issued a statement denying any knowledge of the tactic.
Khawaja’s version sits directly against that statement, and Warner’s backing gives it weight. He said he spoke up after explaining the events to his daughters over the past few days, including his 12-year-old, Ivy, who asked why cameras surrounded the family at the time. “Girls, tell the truth, because lies will eventually come out,” he recalled telling them.
Not everyone is convinced
Opener Nic Maddinson called the timing disappointing. “Christmas comes along and people have books to sell,” he told 10 Sport, adding that Warner, Smith and Bancroft gain nothing from reliving it. The row lands at the start of a big Australian summer for the team.
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