No one was thrown under the bus by ball-tampering revelations, says cricketer Khawaja

Usman Khawaja said he has "not thrown anyone under the bus" with revelations about the sandpaper scandal that engulfed the Australia team in 2018. "But now that everyone's talking, am I going to deny that everyone knew? Nah, I won't deny that, either.

But I never speak on behalf of anyone else in my book, contrary to what the headlines in clickbait media would have you think." Other players involved in the Cape Town controversy have repeatedly denied involvement or knowledge of the plot to alter the condition of the ball by rubbing it with sandpaper. Four bowlers who played for Australia in that Test - Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon - remain part of the team. Cummins has been Test captain since 2021.

In 2021, the quartet released a joint statement which said they "did not know a foreign substance was taken on to the field".