# Warner backs Khawaja on 2018 ball-tampering claims _David Warner says Usman Khawaja's account of the sandpaper scandal is 100% accurate and calls Cricket Australia's investigation rushed._ - Publisher: Apex Sports News (https://apexsportsnews.in) - Canonical URL: https://apexsportsnews.in/news/warner-backs-khawaja-on-2018-ball-tampering-claims - Author: Rohit, Sports writer (https://apexsportsnews.in/author/rohit) - Published: 2026-11-09T11:16:00.439Z - Section: Cricket > International - Topics: Cricket Australia, Usman Khawaja, Australia cricket, Ball tampering, David Warner, Nepal Premier League ## Summary David Warner has supported Usman Khawaja's account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying it is accurate and that Cricket Australia's investigation was rushed and botched. ## Key takeaways - David Warner said Usman Khawaja's recounting of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal is 100% accurate. - Warner described Cricket Australia's investigation process as rushed and botched. - Khawaja said the entire Australia team knew about sandpaper use during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. - Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft received bans after the Cape Town incident. - Warner made his comments in an Instagram video from Nepal while playing in the Nepal Premier League. ## Article David Warner has backed Usman Khawaja's account of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, calling it 100% accurate. The former Australia opener made the comments in a video posted on Instagram from Nepal, where he is currently playing in the Nepal Premier League. His support came ahead of the publication of Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr, which is due out on Tuesday. Warner said it had been eight years since he last spoke on the topic and threw his full support behind Khawaja, thanking him for speaking out and stating that everyone now knows the truth. ## Khawaja's claims and the investigation Khawaja last week said the entire Australia team knew about the use of sandpaper, despite consistent denials from the bowlers that they had knowledge of the plan. He said he was shocked not to be asked to provide evidence during Cricket Australia's investigation and wrote that he genuinely thought after eight years the truth would have been out by now. Warner said Khawaja wrote down every single thing from that day and described the whole interview process as rushed and botched. He noted that Khawaja was sitting next to Cameron Bancroft but was not interviewed, asking how that could be a thorough investigation. Warner said it is time people stop scrutinising the person asking for accountability and start asking those responsible for the investigation to provide it. ## The 2018 Cape Town incident and its aftermath Australia were found to have used sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town. Warner and captain Steve Smith were banned for a year and fellow batter Cameron Bancroft for nine months. While Smith, Warner and Bancroft - all batters - were punished, there was never an explanation of how bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon did not notice a change in the state of the ball. Cummins has been Test captain since 2021 and all four players remain fixtures in the Australia red-ball side. The quartet released a joint statement in 2021 which said they did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field. ## Khawaja's autobiography and further claims Khawaja's autobiography, Sabr, is due out on Tuesday. He has claimed that Australia had used sandpaper on the ball during the Test before the infamous Cape Town match in 2018 and suggested that more people were aware of the plan than those who were eventually punished. Warner said there had been a lot of statements and inaccuracies over the last eight years that were out in the media by people. He said this is Khawaja's story and what Khawaja believes, and that the issue is about accountability, transparency, and ensuring that the truth is properly examined. ### Related on Apex Sports News - [Kusal Mendis backs Sri Lanka batting ahead of Pakistan Test](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/kusal-mendis-backs-sri-lanka-batting-ahead-of-pakistan-test) - [Cameron Bancroft keen to move on after Khawaja sandpaper claims](https://apexsportsnews.in/news/cameron-bancroft-keen-to-move-on-after-khawaja-sandpaper-claims) ### Sources - [BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/c5wyry9gmz4ko?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss) - [The Daily Star](https://www.thedailystar.net/sports/cricket/news/warner-backs-100-accurate-khawaja-over-botched-ball-tampering-investigation-4319081) - [Photo: NAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DAVID_WARNER_(11704782453).jpg) --- Source: Apex Sports News, https://apexsportsnews.in/news/warner-backs-khawaja-on-2018-ball-tampering-claims. Please cite and link the original article when quoting.