Khawaja says the whole Australia team knew about Sandpapergate — Cricket Australia stands by its probe

Independently verified

Khawaja's own words: in extracts of his autobiography Sabr serialised by the Sydney Morning Herald and Nine newspapers on Saturday 7 November, the retired opener said of the 2018 sandpaper plot: 'It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us.' He added: '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.' What the extracts add, as Khawaja tells it: ball-tampering was first discussed openly in the dressing room during the second Test at Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha); Bancroft volunteered to use sandpaper during South Africa's first innings there and the ball swung lavishly; captain Steve Smith 'essentially threw his hands in the air and said he didn't want to know'; and Khawaja — who batted at No. 3 in the Cape Town Test and sat next to Bancroft — was never interviewed by CA's investigator, although he says he made contemporaneous notes in his hotel room. The settled 2018 record: television cameras caught Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper on the ball during the third Test at Newlands, Cape Town, in March 2018. Cricket Australia's investigation concluded that only Bancroft, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner — found to have been the plan's architect — knew in advance. Smith and Warner were banned for one year and Bancroft for nine months; Smith was also barred from captaincy for two years. Cricket Australia's answer, given on Saturday: 'There has been a great deal of speculation in the eight years since the 2018 Cape Town Test, including extensive media coverage throughout last month's series in South Africa. During this time there has been the ongoing opportunity to present any relevant information, and this remains the case. All relevant information presented to CA to date has been properly considered and we remain comfortable with the findings of our integrity process.' Captain Pat Cummins was told in advance: Khawaja briefed Cummins and CA chief executive Todd Greenberg about the book before publication and promised Cummins nothing would leak during Australia's recent series in South Africa. Cummins, asked last month, said he had told Khawaja 'tell your story — it's fine', adding: 'It's obviously a long time ago and all the investigations, everything, was done back then. We answered every question a million times. It was dealt with. All I can say is that as a group, we have moved on.' Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood are rested from this month's white-ball series against England, so the denial's signatories may not face questions immediately.