Former Australia batting coach Graeme Hick has sharply rejected Usman Khawaja's explosive allegation that every member of the Australian squad was aware of the illegal ball-tampering plot during the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, calling the implication 'absolutely false.' The denial comes just days before the release of Khawaja's memoir 'Sabr', which has reignited one of cricket's most damaging controversies.

What Khawaja Claimed

Three days before the memoir's release, Khawaja stated publicly that the entire team — not just the batters, not just the bowlers, not just the support staff — was aware of the sandpaper plot during the Cape Town Test. He also alleged that the illegal object had been used during the Test match preceding Cape Town as well, dramatically widening the scope of the scandal beyond the three players previously held accountable.

Until Khawaja's disclosures, the established public narrative confined culpability to then captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner, and opening batter Cameron Bancroft, who was seen applying the foreign object to the ball. Smith and Warner each received one-year bans from all forms of cricket, while Bancroft was suspended for nine months. Additionally, Smith was barred from captaining Australia for two years, and Warner was handed a lifetime leadership ban — a sanction that was overturned in 2024.

Hick's Emphatic Denial

Hick, who served as Australia's batting coach from 2016 to 2020 and was therefore present during both the Port Elizabeth and Cape Town Tests of that tour, told the Sydney Morning Herald that he was deeply troubled by the sweeping nature of Khawaja's claims. 'I have seen the various statements around the coaches and I'm very disappointed with the broad nature of them,' Hick said.

He addressed Khawaja's core allegation directly: 'To me what Khawaja is implying here is absolutely false. In regard to any discussions around the ball tampering in Port Elizabeth or Cape Town that took place, I will say in true honesty that I did not hear or know anything!!'

Hick further asserted that his first awareness of the incident came the same way most viewers did — when footage appeared on the big screen at the ground. 'My first knowledge of all this was, like many, when it appeared on the big screen in Cape Town as I was sat on the outside balcony at the time,' he said.

Pat Cummins Set to Respond

Current Test captain Pat Cummins is reportedly expected to speak publicly for the first time about Khawaja's claims on Friday, though Cricket Australia indicated this was yet to be confirmed. Cummins, who was part of the squad during the 2018 South Africa tour, has so far remained silent on the matter. His comments, whenever they come, will be closely watched given his standing as the team's current leader and the sport's most prominent voice in Australia.

Why This Matters Beyond 2018

Sandpapergate inflicted lasting reputational damage on Cricket Australia and the national team. The scandal prompted independent reviews, led to cultural overhauls within the squad, and effectively ended Warner's leadership ambitions in cricket — until the ban was partially reversed. Khawaja's memoir, by alleging broader complicity, now threatens to reopen questions that Australian cricket had largely considered settled. Notably, this is the first time an active or recently retired player has publicly implicated the wider dressing room rather than the three already punished individuals.

Whether Cricket Australia commissions any fresh inquiry remains to be seen, but the pressure on the board to respond credibly is mounting ahead of the memoir's official release.