Lehmann denies Khawaja’s claim the whole Australia team knew of sandpaper tactic

Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann has denied Usman Khawaja's claim that the entire Australian team was aware of the ball-tampering tactic employed during the third Test against South Africa on the 2018 tour. Lehmann acknowledged that ball-tampering was a significant part of international cricket but insisted he was not informed of the players' plans.

The banishment of Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft followed the exposure of the team's sandpapering of the ball by South African broadcasters. While Australian bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon vehemently denied knowledge of the incident, Khawaja's autobiography contradicted their statements, stating that discussions about the sandpaper tactic began during the previous Test in Port Elizabeth.

Lehmann stated that while he couldn't speak for the players, he believed ball-tampering had been a part of the game for 150 years and is now obsolete.