MELBOURNE, November 10, 2026: Cricket Australia has ruled out reopening its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, despite fresh allegations from former Test opener Usman Khawaja that more players knew about the use of sandpaper during Australia's tour of South Africa.
Chief executive Todd Greenberg said on Tuesday that the governing body remained satisfied with the outcome of its original inquiry, which resulted in suspensions for Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.
Khawaja's new autobiography, Sabr, has revived questions about the extent of knowledge within the Australian dressing room. His account has received public support from Warner, who has criticised the way the original investigation was conducted.
But Greenberg said conversations with several former members of the touring squad had revealed sharply different recollections of the events.
Why Cricket Australia Will Not Reopen the Sandpapergate Investigation
Speaking to SEN radio, Greenberg said Cricket Australia's board did not believe another inquiry would resolve the disagreement.
He said the governing body had considered the allegations made by Khawaja but saw no compelling reason to revisit decisions taken eight years ago.
Greenberg acknowledged that he had not yet read the autobiography in full. He had, however, spoken to Khawaja and discussed the controversy with other players who were part of the 2018 South Africa tour.
According to the CA chief, some of those conversations produced accounts that contradicted Khawaja's version.
Greenberg said the organisation continued to support the original disciplinary findings and did not believe a new investigation would establish a common account of what happened.
The decision effectively closes the door on another formal Cricket Australia inquiry for now, although it does not settle the differences between the players' accounts.
What Has Usman Khawaja Alleged in His Book Sabr?
Khawaja's autobiography challenges the conclusion that knowledge of the ball-tampering plan was confined to the three players sanctioned in 2018.
He alleges that the use of sandpaper was known more widely within the Australian Test team.
The former opener also claims that sandpaper had been used during the second Test against South Africa at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha, before the plan was exposed in Cape Town.
These claims go beyond the findings of Cricket Australia's original investigation.
The governing body concluded in 2018 that Smith, Warner and Bancroft were responsible for the incident and imposed suspensions accordingly.
Khawaja's account raises questions about whether those findings captured the full extent of the team's knowledge.
His allegations remain disputed by other players.
David Warner Backs Khawaja and Questions Original Inquiry
Warner, who received a 12-month suspension over the scandal, has publicly supported Khawaja's version of events.
He described his former teammate's account as accurate and criticised Cricket Australia's 2018 investigation as rushed and flawed.
Warner's intervention has renewed scrutiny of the inquiry because he was among the players directly sanctioned.
Former Australian fast bowler Chadd Sayers has also supported aspects of Khawaja's account, according to media reports.
However, Cricket Australia has maintained that these statements do not provide sufficient grounds for a fresh investigation.
Greenberg said players had opportunities to provide information during the original inquiry and in the years that followed.
Mitchell Starc Maintains He Did Not Know About Sandpaper
Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has also responded to the renewed allegations.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Starc said his recollection remained consistent with the joint statement issued by Australia's frontline bowlers in 2021.
At the time, Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon denied knowing that a foreign substance had been taken onto the field to alter the condition of the ball.
Starc said Khawaja's account of alleged sandpaper use during the preceding Test at Port Elizabeth was new information to him.
He also stressed that he was speaking for himself rather than on behalf of the other bowlers.
His response highlights the central problem facing any attempt to revisit the scandal: players who were involved in the same tour continue to offer conflicting accounts.
What Happened During the 2018 Ball-Tampering Scandal?
The incident occurred during Australia's third Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town in March 2018.
Television cameras captured Cameron Bancroft attempting to alter the condition of the cricket ball using sandpaper.
The footage triggered an immediate controversy and prompted Cricket Australia to investigate.
Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were subsequently suspended for 12 months, while Bancroft received a nine-month ban.
Smith and Warner also faced leadership restrictions.
The scandal damaged Australia's reputation and led to a wider examination of the national team's culture and standards of conduct.
Although the three sanctioned players eventually returned to international cricket, questions about the involvement of others have continued to surface.
Why the Dispute Remains Unresolved Eight Years Later
The latest developments leave two different narratives in public view.
Khawaja and Warner have challenged the scope and conclusions of the original inquiry. Starc and other players have maintained that they were unaware of the plan involving sandpaper.
Cricket Australia has chosen not to conduct another formal investigation, arguing that revisiting the matter is unlikely to produce a different outcome.
That decision does not establish which account is correct.
It means the governing body is retaining the disciplinary conclusions reached in 2018 rather than commissioning fresh evidence gathering.
For Australian cricket, the controversy has once again become a public debate about responsibility, transparency and the limits of an investigation conducted eight years earlier.
With the board declining further action, attention will now turn to how current and former players respond to Khawaja's allegations.
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