Victoria were the best at ball tampering, Khawaja reveals in autobiography

Although no ball-tampering incident has taken place on the field in the recent past, the subject is back in discussion because of former Australian batter Usman Khawaja. In his autobiographical book Sabr, he has dropped a fresh bombshell about the 2018 Sandpaper-gate scandal.

Khawaja has claimed that the entire team, including the coach and players, was involved in that scandal. His book also reveals which team was most skilled at ball tampering in Australian domestic cricket.

The Australian opener claims ball tampering was normal in Sheffield Shield cricket. And one team there was skilled at generating reverse swing: Victoria. He gives this information in a passage of the book, which is due to be published on Tuesday.

Khawaja describes how, between 2000 and 2020, Victoria's players showed considerable skill in changing the condition of the ball. His explanation is that bowlers did not get much help from the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Reverse swing or spin did not play a very important role in winning matches there.

Khawaja writes that probably the Victorians were the best at it. The MCG had lifeless and flat wickets. Reverse swing and a little spin were the only ways to win a match.

He writes further that the Victorians of the 2000s and 2010s were masters of this craft. Throwing the ball into the wicket and using various other techniques, they would rough up one side of the ball so that its shiny side looked comparatively shinier. All of this was part of the game.

Khawaja writes that it was hardly surprising when, a few years later, Victoria's bowling coach Mickey Lewis was caught on camera rubbing the ball in the crease after it had crossed the boundary. Such things were very normal.

In his first Sheffield Shield season, Khawaja once witnessed ball tampering in a strange way. He claims an unknown player used dried super glue on a towel to make the ball reverse swing.

Khawaja said one player had super glue on his towel. He would rub the dried super glue on the rough side of the ball. It worked very well, and the ball always reversed.

He added that he personally never tampered with the ball, by rubbing or any other means. But he knew everything that was happening.

Khawaja's revelations have reignited debate in Australian cricket. After the 2018 Sandpaper-gate, Cricket Australia handed out severe punishments, but Khawaja's book suggests such behaviour had been going on in domestic cricket for many years.