Joe Root rejects Khawaja's 'whole world' ball-tampering claim ahead of AUS ODI series

Joe Root has firmly rejected Usman Khawaja's assertion in his autobiography Sabr that the entire cricketing world was engaged in ball tampering during the 2017-18 Ashes series. Root, who captained England in that series, said he could only speak from his own experience and declined to speculate about what took place inside the Australian dressing room.

Khawaja's autobiography reignited the sandpapergate controversy, which originally erupted eight years ago when Cameron Bancroft was caught using sandpaper on the ball during the third Test against South Africa at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, on March 24, 2018. Khawaja goes further in Sabr, claiming Australia had also used sandpaper during the second Test at Port Elizabeth in that same 2018 series, and that every member of the touring party was aware of the plans. He also wrote that during the 2017-18 Ashes, Australia experimented with lifting the quarter seam of the ball to generate reverse swing, and suggested the whole world was doing whatever it could to make the ball move.

Root, when asked how Khawaja's allegations made him feel about that 2017-18 series, said he was not in the Australian dressing room and did not know what went on there, adding that he did not want to speculate. Pressed further on Khawaja's wider claim that tampering was universal, Root said he could only speak to his own experiences and that was not how he felt. He described the broader allegations as speculation and said England's focus remained on the forthcoming three-match series.

"I can only speak from my own experiences. That’s not how I feel. I wasn’t in that dressing-room. I don’t know what went on. I don’t want to speculate, as I said. My focus is with this team right now and what we’ve got coming up. We obviously have no idea. It’s all speculation. Our focus, our concerns are on this three-match series," Root said, as quoted by Daily Mail.

What does Bethell's withdrawal mean for England's Australia tour?

Separately, Jacob Bethell has been forced to cut short England's white-ball tour of Australia, flying back to the United Kingdom from Perth on Saturday with a swelling in his right knee. Bethell had been scheduled to make his comeback in Friday's first ODI against Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth. That return will not happen now. He will instead travel home to see a specialist and determine the full extent of the knee problem. Bethell first injured his right knee during the Lord's ODI against India on July 19, 2026, and had not featured in any cricket since that match.

England's eight-match white-ball tour of Australia is already short of personnel. Fast bowler Josh Tongue was ruled out of the three-match ODI series with a toe injury, having already missed the five T20 internationals. To cover the absences, England called up two uncapped players: Hampshire quick Eddie Jack and Sussex spin-bowling all-rounder James Coles. Ben Duckett, who flourished during a recent tri-series involving Pakistan, will continue his opening partnership with Tom Banton.

What is England's next confirmed fixture after the Australia series?

Once the white-ball commitments in Australia are concluded, England's attention turns to a Test assignment in South Africa. The first Test of that series begins on December 17 in Centurion, giving the management a clear window to assess Bethell's fitness and determine whether he can be considered for selection in that format. No replacement for Bethell in the Test squad has been confirmed at this stage.

The original sandpapergate scandal resulted in significant sanctions. Steve Smith and David Warner each received 12-month bans from international cricket, Bancroft was suspended from domestic cricket for nine months, and head coach Darren Lehmann stepped down from his role.