Ehtisham Qudrat: Former Australian fast bowler Chadd Sayers, who was part of Australia's touring squad during the 2018 series in South Africa, has stated that everyone in the Australian Test side knew about the sandpaper ball-tampering plan, during an interview to SEN Radio on Sunday, November 14, 2026. His comments follow renewed controversy sparked by Usman Khawaja’s memoir, Sabr, and directly contradict current Test captain Pat Cummins’ denials.
Key Claims by Chadd Sayers
Speaking on SEN Radio, Sayers stated he is confident that the entire dressing room knew what was happening and what substance was being used. He argued that reverse swing requires total team buy-in because one small mistake in the field ruins the ball's condition immediately.
“I would have thought as a team, when you're trying to get the ball to reverse that everyone would buy in because if one little thing goes wrong in the field to the ball, it stops it from reversing straight away.
“So yeah, as I said, I'm pretty confident to say that everyone knew.”
Sayers revealed that while serving as the 12th man, he was the player tasked with removing the sandpaper from the field after Cameron Bancroft was caught using it.
He also clarified that this was not pre-planned on his part, as he simply happened to be the player running drinks out at that moment.
SEN: You had a role to perform after that?
Sayers: “Yeah, (the sandpaper) was given to me to take off, so that wasn't planned or anything. I was just the player who took the drinks out at the time.
“I recall it was a wicket or a drinks break after tea.”
SEN: There's a wicket in the first over and the second over after tea on day two, and at that stage you came onto the field?
Sayers: “Onto the field with drinks, and yeah, it was passed onto me.”
SEN: By?
Sayers: “I assume Cameron Bancroft, yep.”
Sayers also backed Khawaja’s assertion that sandpaper had already been used to alter the ball during the second Test in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) before the infamous Cape Town incident.
“In Port Elizabeth, so as it's known now, it was used in two test matches and there was discussions in change rooms of how we were going to get the ball to reverse and what was going to be used.”
Contradicting Cummins’ claim that no meeting took place regarding collective accountability, Sayers recalled a 60-to-90-minute dressing room meeting after play in Cape Town.
“Yes, after the occurrence in Cape Town, we all sat in the change rooms after that day's play and probably for 60 to 90 minutes. We talked about what had happened and I guess where to next.”
Sayers noted that the squad was told to stay nearby for Cricket Australia's investigation.
Stance on Khawaja and Cummins
Sayers described watching the start of Cummins' 68-minute media address as "awkward". He stated he did not like how Cummins "got personal" while attacking Khawaja's credibility.
“I didn't like how he did go at Usman and got personal.”
Context of Sayers' Involvement
Sayers was a reserve bowler throughout the first three Tests of the 2018 South Africa tour. Following the bans handed to Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, as well as an injury to Mitchell Starc, Sayers made his sole Test appearance in the fourth Test in Johannesburg.
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