*Despite its sandpaper cheating bombshell, Usman Khawaja’s autobiography is strategic about its revelations
Former test cricketer Usman Khawaja’s autobiography Sabr has hit the headlines because of its claim the whole Australian cricket team knew about the ball being illegally doctored with sandpaper during a 2018 test match in South Africa.
Only three players – captain Steve Smith, vice-captain Dave Warner and Cameron Bancroft – were singled out and suspended by a hastily conceived Cricket Australia investigation. Khawaja states it is loyalty to the three players affected, and particularly his “childhood friend David Warner”, that has led him to speak out.
No doubt there will be more to come on this story – from Warner’s forthcoming autobiography, if not before. Warner has already backed Khawaja’s version of events. At the time of writing, current Australian test captain Pat Cummins, a member of the 2018 team that toured South Africa, has just scheduled a press conference to address the allegation.
Khawaja’s compulsion for truth-telling is, however, driven by wider concerns. The book’s title is an Urdu and Arabic word for patience. It is linked to the author’s Islamic faith: his belief God sees everything and consequently one should “never lie”.
**Professor of English, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, Australian Catholic University
Source – The Conversation, November 12, 2026 2.10pm AEDT.
