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Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, following Usman Khawajas recent explosive claims about the infamous episode during Australias tour of South Africa.
Addressing the growing debate over the "sandpaper gate" row, Hayden questioned Khawajas perspective, suggesting that his comments reflected an individual rather than a collective viewpoint. "A lot of Usman, if you play his Instagram back, there's a lot of 'me', 'I'. It's nothing like 'us'. Usman, in my opinion, is not going to tell a great story," Hayden said in a video posted by Love of Cricket on Instagram. Usman Khawajas autobiography, Sabr, has reignited the controversy surrounding the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal during Australias tour of South Africa, bringing long-buried tensions back into the spotlight. In the aftermath of the scandal, then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed 12-month bans from competitive cricket, while Cameron Bancroft also faced sanctions for his involvement in the incident. Khawaja has offered a fresh account of the controversy, claiming that the entire Australian team was aware of the use of sandpaper and that responsibility for the incident extended beyond the three players who were punished. He also made several startling revelations, alleging that Australia had used sandpaper during the second Test against South Africa in Gqeberha, before the team was eventually caught ball-tampering during the third Test in Cape Town. Additionally, Khawaja shed light on alleged ball-tampering practices during the 2017-18 Ashes series at home, claiming that Australian players had altered the condition of the ball by lifting its quarter-seam. (ANI)
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