The 2018 Australian ball-tampering scandal has resurfaced with fresh allegations, eight years after the infamous Sandpaper-gate incident rocked international cricket. Former Australia bowling coach David Saker has reportedly been accused of urging Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft not to disclose that sandpaper was used to tamper with the ball during the Cape Town Test against South Africa.The latest development follows revelations in former Australian batter Usman Khawaja‘s memoir, Sabr, in which he claimed that the ball-tampering operation was not limited to a handful of players and that the entire Australian team was aware of the practice. Khawaja also questioned why Bancroft, Smith and David Warner were the only players to face sanctions for an incident that, according to him, involved a wider group within the dressing room.A report by the Sydney Morning Herald has now identified Saker as the unnamed coach repeatedly referenced in Khawaja’s book, adding another dimension to the controversy.
Saker allegedly told Smith and Bancroft not to mention sandpaper
According to the report, Saker urged Smith and Bancroft not to reveal the identity of the yellow object taken onto the field at Newlands during their media interaction on the day the scandal came to light. The report further alleged that Saker repeatedly told the two players, “you can’t say sandpaper” ahead of the infamous press conference.It was only after Cricket Australia announced disciplinary action against Smith, Bancroft and Warner that the use of sandpaper was publicly acknowledged. The report also claimed that Smith and Bancroft were advised by others not to lie during the press conference. However, Bancroft maintained that the object was tape when questioned by the media.
Khawaja’s memoir makes fresh revelations about dressing-room involvement
Although Khawaja did not identify Saker by name in Sabr, he referred to an unnamed coach while recounting the events leading up to the ball-tampering incident. In one passage, Khawaja described a conversation between Bancroft and a coach during the lunch break before the latter was caught using sandpaper.“With a smile on his face, he said, ‘Bangers, whatever you’re doing, we need more of it. It’s wet out there – we just need more of it’. Then I saw Bangers pick up a piece of sandpaper and put it in his pocket. The coach gave both me and Cameron a wry smile of satisfaction and walked away,” Khawaja wrote.The former Australia opener also recalled the coach encouraging the bowling group to find ways to generate reverse swing, even if it meant taking unconventional measures.“Guys, I don’t care what happens, but Test cricketers are too good against the straight ball,” the coach was quoted as saying in the memoir.“We need to get the ball shifting when it gets old. I don’t care what you have to do, or how, but we need to get it moving in the air. That’s the only chance we have,” the unnamed coach reportedly added.Saker, who played a key role in England’s historic Ashes triumph in Australia in 2010-11 as bowling coach, also worked with the England team during the 2013, 2023 and 2025-26 Ashes campaigns.He reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement with Cricket Australia after leaving the organisation in February 2019.
