Peter Collins, a central figure in the independent review conducted in the wake of the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, has called on Cricket Australia (CA) to launch a fresh investigation into the ball-tampering affair, pushing back sharply against CA chief executive Todd Greenberg's decision to keep the case closed. The renewed pressure follows explosive claims by Australian batter Usman Khawaja in his newly released memoir, Sabr, that the entire Australian Test squad was aware of the sandpaper plot during the Cape Town Test against South Africa in 2018.

What Khawaja's Book Alleges

In Sabr, released on Tuesday, 11 November 2026, Khawaja asserts that knowledge of the sandpaper scheme extended well beyond the three players who were punished — a claim that directly contradicts the narrative underpinning the original inquiry's findings. Ahead of the book's launch, former opener David Warner publicly backed Khawaja's version of events, lending significant weight to the allegations.

The original investigation found Warner and captain Steve Smith guilty of orchestrating the plan, resulting in 12-month playing bans for both. Fielder Cameron Bancroft, who was caught applying the sandpaper on camera, received a nine-month suspension. Smith was additionally barred from holding any leadership role for two years, while Warner was handed a lifetime leadership ban — a sanction that was eventually lifted in 2024.

CA Refuses to Reopen the Case

Despite the fresh allegations, Greenberg said on Tuesday that CA is 'comfortable with the outcome' of the 2018 probe and has no intention of reopening it. The governing body's stance has drawn immediate criticism from Collins, who was part of the independent review that examined the team's on-field culture in the scandal's aftermath.

Collins told reporters that simply refusing to act will not make the controversy disappear. 'Cricket Australia cannot just hope it all goes away,' he said. 'Failing to investigate won't resolve the issue.'

Collins Calls for Khawaja's Notes to Be Reviewed

'We need to have a further investigation,' Collins said in remarks to nine.com.au. 'Khawaja needs to be interviewed, and his contemporaneous notes need to be reviewed.' Collins stressed that establishing whether Khawaja's account contradicts the longstanding denials of the bowling quartet — Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon — is now a matter of basic fairness to those players themselves.

'What we don't know is whether or not what Khawaja is saying is true, and until we can get to that, this cloud of doubt hangs over the four bowlers and Smith and the team. It is not right that their integrity is questioned without a chance to resolve the issues raised in the book,' Collins added.

The Stakes for Australian Cricket's Reputation

Collins framed the matter as a question of institutional responsibility. 'The tragedy for me is Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Smith are all great players, and this very different version of events provided by Khawaja and backed by Warner shouldn't be allowed by Cricket Australia to hang over their heads,' he said, also hinting at further revelations: 'God knows what's in Warner's book.'

Notably, this is the first time a reviewer from the original independent process has publicly broken with CA's position, marking a significant escalation in a scandal that has never fully left Australian cricket's conscience. With Warner's own memoir reportedly in the pipeline, the pressure on CA to act is likely to intensify further.