Sport

Warner accuses Cricket Australia of sandpaper cover-up

Cricket Australia will not reopen the investigation and maintains that every player had the chance to speak during the original inquiry.

Former Australian opener David Warner gestures with both hands while speaking at a press conference

Digitally illustrated image.

By Bushletter Newsroom · 15 November 2026

TLDR

Former Australia vice-captain David Warner has publicly accused Cricket Australia of running a 'shoddy investigation' into the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering affair, alleging Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon were never interviewed. CA chief executive Todd Greenberg says the governing body will not reopen the inquiry.

Warner fires cover-up accusation at Cricket Australia

Former Australia vice-captain David Warner posted a pointed public challenge to Cricket Australia on 14 November, alleging the governing body's 2018 investigation into the Cape Town ball-tampering affair never formally questioned three of the most senior players on the tour.^[1]

"As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation," Warner said.^[1] Warner argued that CA could not credibly insist the bowlers had no knowledge of the sandpaper plan if it had not formally tested their accounts.

Warner went further, saying the inquiry had been designed to allocate blame to predetermined targets. "It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning, ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea. That stinks of a cover up."^[1]

Greenberg holds the line

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg rejected any suggestion the investigation needed revisiting. "We don't see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again," Greenberg said. "I don't think there's anything that can be gained from that."^[2]

Greenberg said CA remained comfortable with the 2018 outcome based on the information it had received, and acknowledged that accounts of the South Africa tour were inconsistent and that consensus among those involved would be impossible.^[2] CA maintained that all players had the opportunity to speak during the original integrity process and have remained able to present new evidence since.

A 2024 independent CA review panel decision recorded that the original investigation found Warner had instructed Cameron Bancroft to artificially alter the ball and demonstrated how sandpaper could be used. Warner's 2018 sanction included a 12-month playing suspension and a leadership ban, later modified by the panel.^[5]

Khawaja's account and Cummins's rejection

Warner's accusation followed Usman Khawaja's public comments in which the former Australia Test batter said his aim was collective accountability for the squad rather than naming individuals.^[4] Khawaja said he was not interviewed during the 2018 process despite sitting beside Bancroft throughout the Cape Town Test, and described the investigation as feeling rushed.^[4]

Australia Test captain Pat Cummins flatly rejected the central implication of Khawaja's account, saying: "When he says 'We all knew', if by that he means that we knew sandpaper was going out in the field, he's 100 per cent wrong."^[3] Cummins denied any advance knowledge of the Cape Town plan and rejected the suggestion that he and others helped devise it.

Warner made no formal public demand for a new inquiry, but challenged CA to substantiate its own account of which players were interviewed and when.^[1] Australia's first Test against New Zealand at Perth Stadium is scheduled to begin on 9 December 2026, with the dispute likely to shadow preparations in the lead-up.^[6]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Warner alleged CA never interviewed Hazlewood, Starc or Lyon, calling the original probe 'shoddy'.

02Greenberg said reopening the investigation would produce no compelling benefit or new consensus.

03Cummins flatly rejected Khawaja's claim that everyone knew, calling it '100 per cent wrong'.

04Khawaja said he was not interviewed in 2018 despite sitting beside Cameron Bancroft at Cape Town.

05Australia's first Test against New Zealand begins at Perth Stadium on 9 December 2026.

SOURCES & CITATIONS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What did David Warner allege about the 2018 Cricket Australia investigation?

Warner alleged that CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon during its 2018 probe into the Cape Town ball-tampering affair. He said the investigation appeared designed to blame predetermined targets and called the continuing claim that the bowlers knew nothing 'a cover up'.

Will Cricket Australia reopen the sandpaper investigation?

No. CA chief executive Todd Greenberg said the governing body sees no compelling reason or benefit in reopening the inquiry, and that it remains comfortable with the 2018 outcome based on the information it received.

What did Pat Cummins say about Usman Khawaja's claims?

Cummins said Khawaja was '100 per cent wrong' if his assertion that 'we all knew' meant the team knew sandpaper was being taken onto the field. Cummins denied any prior knowledge of the Cape Town plan.

What did Usman Khawaja say about the original investigation?

Khawaja said he was never interviewed during the 2018 process despite sitting beside Cameron Bancroft throughout the Cape Town Test. He said the investigation felt rushed and that his goal was collective squad accountability, not naming individuals.