Cricket Australia will not open another investigation into ‘sandpapergate’

What the report says

Cricket Australia says it will not reopen its investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal known as “sandpapergate,” even after fresh comments from former and current players revived debate over how widely the plan was known inside the team. The decision was outlined by CA chief Todd Greenberg on Tuesday, according to the report published by Al Jazeera and sourced to Reuters.

Greenberg said the organization is satisfied with the findings of the original investigation and does not see a compelling reason to revisit the matter. He said details in Usman Khawaja’s newly released autobiography differ from accounts given by other players, but added that CA’s position had not changed. The governing body imposed bans and other penalties on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft shortly after the Cape Town Test incident became public.

Khawaja’s book excerpts, published in Australian media, say discussions about roughing up the ball were more open than previously acknowledged and not limited to a small group. Warner later backed Khawaja in a social media video, calling the account accurate and criticizing the original CA probe as rushed. In contrast, four bowlers from that 2018 side who remain in the national setup previously denied knowing about the plan.

The episode continues to matter because it remains one of the most damaging scandals in Australian cricket and raises ongoing questions about team culture, accountability and how cricket authorities handled the original investigation.