The Sandpapergate Scandal has come to life once again after former Australia National Cricket Team batter Usman Khawaja dropped a comment that everyone knew about the scandal and that everyone was involved, including Cameron Bancroft, Steven Smith and David Warner. Now former pacer Chadd Sayers has backed the comment of the former Aussie opener, but also questioned the former.

The former Australia cricketers have torn apart Usman Khawaja after the Southpaw reignited the Sandpapergate scandal almost seven years after the incident. This came after the recently concluded South Africa vs Australia Test series, which the Aussies lost 2-1 away from home and slipped to 3rd on the World Test Championship (WTC) table.

"Everything Usman says in his article is accurate": Chadd Sayers backs Usman Khawaja

While speaking on Code Sports, Chadd Sayers backed Usman Khawaja, reigniting the Sandpaper Gate scandal. But Sayers has questioned why the opener did not say anything during the 2018/19 tour when the incident happened. He stated that everything mentioned about the former opener is correct.

"Everything Usman says in his article is accurate, but if he felt so strongly about it, why didn’t he say something at the time?" Sayers said, as quoted by Code Sports.

"It makes the most sense that more than three players knew": Mitchell Johnson on Sandpapergate scandal

Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson also asks the same question, as he feels that for every cricketer, their equipment is like a child: just for a batter, his bat, and for the bowlers, his ball. So Johnson cannot deny the fact that when the sandpaper was used, neither of the bowlers knew about the incident, as he knows that the whole team knew, but it was three players who were made scapegoats.

"And my gut has always told me what Khawaja is now saying. It makes the most sense that more than three players knew. As a batter, your bat is your most prized possession. As a bowler, the ball is your main tool. It’s your baby. You check it, you shine it, you take care of it every ball, every over," he wrote.

"The idea that a ball could be scuffed with sandpaper and the bowlers wouldn’t notice didn’t make sense to me, and to plenty of people who have played the game. What disappoints me is the thought that a whole team knew and let three players take the hit."

Johnson further said that if Khawaja is right, then why did they back away and watch the whole incident involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft being banned?

"Smith, Warner and Bancroft copped the bans, lost the captaincy and wore the public shame. If Khawaja is right, they all stood back and watched, and the next question becomes, were they told to? The problem now is proving it."

What did Usman Khawaja say?

Usman Khawaja, ahead of his autobiography launch, Sabr stated that sandpaper was first used in the Test before Cape Town, in Gqeberha, and that he was interviewed by Cricket Australia despite spending a lot of time with Bancroft.

He also revealed that the whole team knew about the incident. "It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja told Nine.