Former Australian batter Usman Khawaja recently brought the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa back into the spotlight, with fresh revelations about the controversial event. In his upcoming autobiography, Sabr, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian Test team had the knowledge of the controversial use of sandpaper during the Cape Town Test. His bombshell revelations have touched off a great deal of debate; however, Khawaja maintains that he has not thrown anyone under the bus.

Notably, only three players, Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, had been handed punishment for the incident. Khawaja, meanwhile, through a two-part video shared on social media on Sunday morning, defended his decision to speak openly and made it clear that he had no intention of withdrawing his statements. 

“I haven’t thrown anyone under the bus. The guys that are currently in the team right now and the other people that were there on the South African tour, including me, we’re not the victims,” Khawaja said in a video on Instagram.

“These three guys took the blame for all of us. They’re the victims ... people telling them that they’re cheats, getting nailed by the crowd. Public humiliation.”

Khawaja revealed how he wanted to go public in 2018 when Smith, Warner and Bancroft were handed suspension.

“I told Smudge (Smith) that I was going to come clean to the media. I couldn’t believe the penalties he got. But Smudge being the man and leader he was, he talked me out of it,” Khawaja said.

“He wanted to take the blame. I argued with him, but he was having none of it. That’s the first time I try to come out.”

Khawaja also said that he had made a promise to his childhood friend David Warner to tell the truth.

“I made a promise to my childhood friend David Warner that I would tell the truth so he could tell his story. I’m absolutely, 100 per cent unapologetic for that,” he said.

“I stuck up for all cricketers in the past with the ACA, fighting for what I thought was right. This is no different."

“These three guys deserve justice. And I haven’t pointed fingers at anyone. I’m still searching for what I was searching all those years ago for us, me included, to take the blame together as a team so we can all move on from this once and for all.”