Sandpaper-gate takes another turn as ex-coach accused of asking Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft not to reveal the truth

Australia’s 2018 ball-tampering scandal has resurfaced with fresh allegations, eight years after international cricket was rocked by the infamous Sandpaper-gate incident. Former Australian bowling coach David Saker has reportedly been accused of urging Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft not to reveal 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 batsman 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 knew about the practice. Khawaja also questioned why Bancroft, Smith and David Warner were the only players to face sanctions for the incident, which he said involved a wider group inside the dressing room.A report in the Sydney Morning Herald has now identified Saker as the unnamed coach repeatedly mentioned in Khawaja’s book, adding another dimension to the controversy.

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Saker reportedly told Smith and Bancroft not to mention the sandpaper

According to the report, Saker urged Smith and Bancroft not to reveal the identity of the yellow object lifted onto the field at Newlands during their media interaction on the day the scandal broke. The report went on to claim that Saker repeatedly told both players “you can’t say sandpaper” before the infamous press conference.It was only after Cricket Australia announced disciplinary proceedings 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 claimed the object was a tape when questioned by the media.

Khawaja’s memoir brings 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 the coach during the lunch break before the coach was caught using sandpaper.“With a smile on his face, he said, ‘Bangers, whatever you do, we need more. It’s wet in there – we just need more’. Then I saw Bangers take a piece of sandpaper and put it in his pocket. The coach smiled at me and Cameron and left,” Khawaja wrote.The former Australian opener also recalled a coach who encouraged the bowling group to find ways to create reverse swing, even if it meant taking unconventional measures.“Guys, I don’t care what happens, but Test cricketers are too good against the flat ball,” the coach said in his memoirs.“We need the ball to move when it gets old. I don’t care what you have to do or how, but we have 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 organization in February 2019.