Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has revealed Australia's alleged use of sandpaper on the ball during a Test match. He claimed this practice, intended for reverse swing, happened before the team was caught in Cape Town. Khawaja labeled the reverse swing attempt as "silly."

Khawaja's accusation pinpoints the Port Elizabeth Test against South Africa as the incident's location and time. His statement indicates this occurred prior to the widely reported apprehension of the Australian team in Cape Town, offering a new perspective on past events.

Pre-Cape Town Allegations Surface

The method described by Usman Khawaja involved directly applying sandpaper to the cricket ball. This action was reportedly undertaken to alter the ball's surface, with the express aim of producing reverse swing. Khawaja's assessment of the effort was simply "silly."

This claim is significant, placing sandpaper use in the Port Elizabeth Test, prior to the infamous Cape Town incident. The revelation suggests a previous, unexposed instance of ball-tampering by Australia, modifying the known chronology of these controversial events.

The Alleged Sandpaper Use

Usman Khawaja, a current Australian cricketer, is the source of these recent claims. His direct account provides new detail regarding the timeline of controversial practices associated with the Australian team. Khawaja's disclosure illuminates a previously unacknowledged episode.

According to Khawaja, these alleged incidents began during the Port Elizabeth Test match against South Africa. Subsequently, the Australian team faced public detection and consequences for ball-tampering in Cape Town, triggering a major global cricket scandal.

Timeline of Events Clarified

This statement from Usman Khawaja significantly revises the historical narrative of Australia's ball-tampering incidents. By identifying the Port Elizabeth Test as an earlier point of sandpaper application, it broadens the context of the subsequent Cape Town scandal.