‘More people knew’: Sandpapergate reviewer reveals whispers of wider scandal

NewsSports NewsCricket News‘More people had known’: Sandpapergate reviewer reveals whispers of wider ball-tampering scandal ‘More people had known’: Sandpapergate reviewer reveals whispers of wider ball-tampering scandal Edited by Hijam Raju Singh / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 14, 2026, 12:30 IST Dr Simon Longstaff, the ethics expert commissioned by Cricket Australia (CA) to review the team's culture after the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal, has revealed that he heard “whispers” that more players knew about the ball-tampering plot than the three who were punished.Speaking to Nine's Weekend Today on Saturday, Longstaff said he gave senior players an opportunity to reveal anything they had not disclosed during the investigation, but nobody changed their statements.

Watch “Along the way, there were whispers, and I can't put it any more strongly than that, that something else had gone on earlier and that more people had known,” he said.“When we came to look into that – because I couldn’t turn a blind eye to it once the suggestion was made – I afforded the senior people I spoke with an opportunity … ‘Well, is there something else you want to say about the whole circumstance?’”“Nobody chose to make any alteration to their statement, so I was left with basically a blank wall.

Some people saying one thing, others another, but not sufficient to be able to say there needs to be a further inquiry at that time,” he added.Longstaff questions whether CA should revisit investigation Longstaff said the whispers also suggested that ball-tampering may have taken place before the infamous Cape Town Test against South Africa.“We’re talking effectively about … good people who made bad decisions, so that’s where we looked,” he said.He could not recall whether Usman Khawaja was invited to contribute to the review, after the former Australia opener claimed in his book, Sabr, that he was never interviewed despite being willing to tell his version of events.

He suggested CA should decide whether it wanted to establish the reason behind the conflicting accounts.Poll Should Cricket Australia revisit the investigation into the Sandpapergate scandal? Yes, a thorough review is neededNo, it's time to move on Meanwhile, David Warner has accused CA of conducting a flawed investigation and questioned whether it interviewed senior bowlers Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.“As far as I am aware, CA did not interview Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc or Nathan Lyon in their 2018 investigation,” Warner posted on Instagram.“If that’s correct, then how can CA push the idea that the bowlers didn’t know?”“It looks like they had decided who they wanted to blame from the very beginning ran a shoddy investigation to serve the purpose and now they want to maintain the false narrative that the bowlers had no idea.

That stinks of a cover up.”Warner and then captain Steve Smith received one-year bans, while Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months following the Cape Town incident. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.

Hijam Raju Singh is an Assistant News Editor with The Times of India Digital, with more than 20 years of journalism experience, including over 18 years in sports journalism. A graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has been associated with The Times of India’s Digital Sports Desk for more than 18 years.

He specialises in analytical, statistical and data-driven sports coverage, with a particular interest in cricket, football, tennis and Olympic sports. Modi Govt Extends Ban On Zakir Naik's Islamic Research Foundation For 5 Years Under UAPA Sonam Wangchuk Under ‘House Arrest’ As Leh Apex Body Seeks To Postpone Winter Polls Dead Fish In Yamuna: BJP Accuses AAP Of Staging Incident, Kejriwal's Party Hits Back Indonesian Woman With Alleged Chinese Links Caught At Sonauli Border With Multiple Indian IDs 'Kashmir Was, Is And Will Be India's': Farooq Abdullah Urges Pakistan To End Terrorism 'Sam Bhai...Gujarati Friend': PM Modi-Sam Pitroda's X Exchange Goes Viral