Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate: South African Pacer Keeps Distance from Controversy

By Aditya Nagar | Updated: Sat, 14 Nov 2026, 04:41 PM (IST)

Kagiso Rabada on Usman Khawaja claims: Kagiso Rabada has stated that South Africa has no involvement in the Sandpapergate saga which resurfaced last week and that it is an issue which Australia should deal with. He made the comments at a press conference in Johannesburg on Friday. Rabada said he wasn't concerned at all about the whole thing and that it was really an Australian issue.

He also said he didn't see any involvement from any of the South African players. Rabada was a major part of the 2018 Test series against Australia, taking 23 wickets at an average of 19.26. That series was of course marred by the ball tampering incident in the third Test.

Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate | South African Pacer Avoids Commenting on the Validity of Khawaja’s Claims of South African Involvement

Rabada responds to Usman Khawaja: In his autobiography Sabr, Usman Khawaja has now claimed that three of the South African players were also involved in the ball tampering. His claims have raised fresh questions as to how widespread the practice was and whether it was just the three Australian players who were punished. Rabada was not in a position to comment on the validity of Khawaja's claims or on any South African involvement.

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Usman Khawaja Sandpapergate Allegations | Asserts Australian Players Involvement in Ball Tampering Trick

Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate: Usman khawaja's sandpapergate allegations have put pressure on Australian captain Pat Cummins. As a member of the 2018 squad, Cummins has emphatically denied Khawaja's claim that the entire Australian team knew about the ball-tampering plan, saying only the three players who were punished knew about it.

Khawaja claims that all of the team, from the batters through to the bowlers and the support staff, knew what was going on. Cummins has the opposite view and has said that the rest of the group were completely unaware of the sandpaper being brought onto the field. He has called Khawaja's claims "complete and utter nonsense".

2018 Australia Ball-Tampering Scandal | When Did the Incident Occurred?

Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate: The incident occurred at the third Test between Australia and South Africa at Newlands in March 2018 when it was captured on camera that Cameron Bancroft was using sandpaper to try and get reverse swing on the ball. CA looked into it and found that then skipper Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and Bancroft were all involved. Smith and Warner were each handed one-year bans, Bancroft nine months.

South Africa’s Response to Sandpapergate | Rabada Says Pitches Can be the Reason for This

Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate: Khawaja's comments have prompted a fresh wave of calls for a more in-depth investigation into the incident. They have also reignited the debate around reverse swing which has effectively all but disappeared from Test cricket since the Newlands incident. Rabada said he hadn't been too involved in the conversation, but did suggest that the pitches might be the reason.

He pointed out that so many of the games have been on green pitches that the ball hasn't had a chance to reverse. South Africa have also had their share of ball tampering incidents. Faf du Plessis was found guilty in Tests against Pakistan in 2013 and against Australia in 2016. Vernon Philander was also found guilty in a Test against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2014.

Rabada Puts Attention on Match Against Bangladesh in Test Series

Kagiso Rabada on Sandpapergate: Rabada is past the recent controversy and is now all about making a proper comeback from injury as SA get ready to take on Bangladesh in a Test series at the Wanderers (starting Sunday). He missed the first Test against Australia at Kingsmead but did return for the next two. He's keen to put the injury behind him and be a part of the process of SA improving their WTC position. He says he feels absolutely fine, despite not having played for a bit.

This will be his first match back. He was due to play in the ODIs but things didn't quite go to plan this summer. He's feeling much more at ease now. In the time away from the game he's been working on other aspects of his game. He points out that injuries can give you a chance to learn new things or just take a break.

He expects Bangladesh to be a tough side, especially in the light of their form of late, and is looking forward to the game at the Wanderers. He goes on to say that every series in international cricket is a tough one and every match is important. With Bangladesh's form of late he feels their confidence is very high and that will make the games even more interesting.

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