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Cricket Australia will not open another investigation into ‘sandpapergate’

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Reuters. (2026, November 10). Cricket Australia will not open another investigation into ‘sandpapergate’. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/11/10/cricket-australia-will-not-open-another-investigation-into-sandpapergate?traffic_source=rss

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Al Jazeera · collected 2026-11-10 · by Reuters

Quick Summary

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg has stated that there will not be another investigation into the 2018 ball-tampering scandal known as "sandpapergate," despite recent claims from former players Usman Khawaja and David Warner suggesting broader team involvement. Khawaja's recently published autobiography includes details contradicting previous accounts, but Greenberg maintains that the original investigation was thorough and does not see a need to reopen it. The initial incident led to bans for Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, while other players like Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon maintained their innocence in previous statements.
Written by AI on 2026-11-10, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg has ruled out reopening an investigation into the 2018 sandpaper scandal, stating that team members will never agree on how the plot to tamper with the ball was hatched. Speaking to radio station SEN, Greenberg said he had spoken with several players since Usman Khawaja’s claims about the events of 2018 surfaced in anticipation of his book release. Khawaja's book details that the Australian team began using sandpaper for ball-tampering in Port Elizabeth before Bancroft was caught on camera at Cape Town. Greenberg respected Khawaja's right to tell his side but noted differing accounts from other players, making a new inquiry unlikely. Greenberg was CEO of the Australian Cricketers’ Association during the scandal when Steve Smith and David Warner were banned for their roles alongside Cameron Bancroft.

Written for “Cricket Australia Sandpaper Scandal Refusal” on 2026-11-10, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 140891 · logged 2026-11-10

Story

Cricket Australia Sandpaper Scandal Refusal
Sports · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 6% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 1 of 6 claims Outlet record 61/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
6%
1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
60/100
Al Jazeera's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-10 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Al Jazeera · 5283 article(s) · 4 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 4 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Reuters
1000 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Reuters
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 1000 articles by Reuters →

Topics

Australia Australian Cricket Australia South Africa the Cape Town Test

Subjects

Khawaja PERSON · 7× Australian NORP · 3× South Africa GPE · 3× Warner PERSON · 3× Australia GPE · 1× Cricket Australia ORG · 1× David Warner PERSON · 1× Greenberg PERSON · 1× Todd Greenberg PERSON · 1× Usman Khawaja PERSON · 1×

Narrative

Warner, who retired from international cricket more than two years ago, broke his silence about the incident on Monday to throw his support behind Khawaja. In a video posted on social media, Warner described his former teammate’s account as 100 percent accurate and the CA investigation as “botched” and “rushed”. The four Australian bowlers who played in the Cape Town Test in 2018 and continue to represent the nation – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – issued a joint statement in 2021 denying any knowledge of the plot.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-10

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

The top cricket official in Australia has ruled out another investigation into the so-called “sandpapergate” scandal despite remarks by Usman Khawaja and David Warner that knowledge of the 2018 ball-tampering plot was widespread throughout the team. asserted
knowledge → rule → team
Cricket Australia (CA) boss Todd Greenberg said on Tuesday he believed all players held “very different views” from Khawaja’s version of events of the 2018 tour of South Africa as described in his recently released autobiography. asserted
players → say → autobiography
“There are specific details in his book that contradict the versions that have been provided by others,” Greenberg told local radio station SEN. asserted
Greenberg → be → SEN
“But we have said we’re comfortable with the outcome of the investigation based on the information we’ve received,” he added. asserted
he → say → information
“That includes what we’ve seen from Usman, and our position hasn’t changed on that. asserted
position → include → that
We don’t see any compelling reason to open the investigation or revisit this again. asserted
We → see → this
I don’t think there’s anything that can be gained from that.” asserted
that → think → that
CA imposed bans and other penalties on Warner, former captain Steve Smith and former Test batter Cameron Bancroft four days after the incident came to light during the Cape Town Test. asserted
incident → impose → Test
Khawaja, in extracts from his autobiography published in Australian media, said “open, lighthearted discussions” were held during the South Africa series about ways to scuff up the ball, including by using sandpaper. asserted
discussions → publish → sandpaper
He said discussion of tampering was not confined to batters, bowlers or staff but extended throughout the team. asserted
discussion → say → team
“It was all of us,” Khawaja said in the book, according to Australian media. uncertain
Khawaja → say → media
Warner, who retired from international cricket more than two years ago, broke his silence about the incident on Monday to throw his support behind Khawaja. In a video posted on social media, Warner described his former teammate’s account as 100 percent accurate and the CA investigation as “botched” and “rushed”. The four Australian bowlers who played in the Cape Town Test in 2018 and continue to represent the nation – Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – issued a joint statement in 2021 denying any knowledge of the plot. asserted
who → retire → plot
Captain Cummins said in South Africa last month that he had spoken to Khawaja about his autobiography and was not concerned about any potential fallout. asserted
he → say → fallout
So, yeah, it was dealt with then,” he said. asserted
he → deal → ?
Some commentators have questioned why Khawaja waited eight years to speak out and accused him of trying to boost sales of his book Sabr. Khawaja responded on social media on Tuesday, saying he had no commercial motives. asserted
he → question → motives
“I’m very fortunate, I don’t need the money,” he said. asserted
he → ’m → money
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