{
  "id": 18663504,
  "title": "‘It was all of us’: Usman Khawaja drops bombshell on Australia's 2018 ball-tampering scandal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/it-was-all-of-us-usman-khawaja-drops-bombshell-on-australias-2018",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-07T07:40:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/us-usman-khawaja-drops-bombshell-074000172.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Australia cricketer Usman Khawaja has disclosed new details about the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, claiming that discussions about tampering with the ball were more widespread among the team than initially reported by Cricket Australia's investigation. In excerpts from his upcoming autobiography, Khawaja stated that players openly discussed various methods to roughen the ball, including using sandpaper, during Australia's 2018 tour of South Africa. He emphasized that these conversations extended beyond a select group within the team and even involved support staff. Khawaja emphasized that \"it was all of us\" in relation to the discussions. The revelation challenges Cricket Australia's initial investigation, which concluded that only players Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft were aware of the plan. Khawaja, who featured in 88 Tests for Australia, was cleared of wrongdoing in the investigation and announced his retirement from international cricket in January. Cricket Australia maintains its stance on the original findings, stating that they remain valid despite Khawaja's new claims.",
  "summary": "Usman Khawaja has shed light on the extent of discussions regarding ball tampering among Australian cricketers. He revealed that these conversations were not only prevalent but also conducted openly during their contentious 2018 tour in South Africa. This revelation casts doubt on the integrity of Cricket Australia's previous investigation, which insists it considered all pertinent information…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Cricket Australia responds to explosive Khawaja claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/cricket-australia-responds-to-explosive-khawaja-claims-18601413",
        "published": "2026-11-06T23:57:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Cricket Australia responds to explosive Khawaja claims",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/cricket-australia-responds-to-explosive-khawaja-claims",
        "published": "2026-11-06T23:57:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Times of India",
        "title": "‘It was all of us’: Khawaja drops bombshell on Australia's ball-tampering scandal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/it-was-all-of-us-khawaja-drops-bombshell-on-australias-ball-tampering",
        "published": "2026-11-07T02:10:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "Usman Khawaja disputes Cricket Australia findings on 2018 ball-tampering scandal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/usman-khawaja-disputes-cricket-australia-findings-on-2018-ball",
        "published": "2026-11-07T06:06:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}