Chris Broad criticises Lehmann over Sandpapergate, backs Khawaja’s revelations

Former England cricketer and match referee Chris Broad has criticised former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann over the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, saying he should have been held accountable for the incident during the team’s tour of South Africa.

Reacting to Khawaja’s claims, Broad took aim at Lehmann, who was Australia’s head coach during the South Africa tour, questioning how he could have been unaware of the ball-tampering incident.

“Darren Lehmann surely knew all about it,” Broad said on Track Radio, as quoted by Fox Sports.

“And if he did not, he should not have been the coach at the time. I think he has got away lightly … OK, he left his job a few months later, but he did not get any sanctions.”

Broad also recalled Lehmann’s criticism of his son, former England pacer Stuart Broad, during the 2013 Ashes series, after the latter chose not to walk following an edge to the slips.

Lehmann had subsequently warned that the Australian team would make Stuart Broad “cry” when England toured Australia.

“And here he is, the coach of the Australian cricket team that brought sandpaper out onto the field of play and denied any knowledge of this happening. I am very angry at Darren Lehmann in this respect,” Broad said.

Broad’s comments came after Australia batter Usman Khawaja made fresh revelations about the infamous ‘Sandpapergate’ controversy in his upcoming autobiography, ‘Sabr’, claiming that the entire Australian team, including players and support staff, was aware of the ball-tampering episode.

The scandal erupted during the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town in 2018, after Cameron Bancroft was caught attempting to alter the condition of the ball using sandpaper. Then captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were handed one-year bans from competitive cricket, while Bancroft received a nine-month suspension from international and domestic cricket.

Khawaja has argued that responsibility for the incident was collective and that the three players should not have been left to shoulder the blame alone. He also questioned Cricket Australia’s investigation, saying several members of the team were not interviewed despite allegedly having knowledge of the incident.

In his autobiography, Khawaja claimed that the Australian team had used sandpaper during the second Test in Gqeberha before the incident came to light in Cape Town.

He also made revelations about Australia’s attempts to alter the condition of the ball during the 2017-18 home Ashes series, claiming that players had lifted the quarter-seam to facilitate reverse swing.

Australia won the third Test at Perth by an innings, a victory that helped them regain the Ashes.

Broad received unexpected support from former Australia opener David Warner, who has also backed Khawaja’s revelations about the 2018 tour.

“I could not agree more, and that’s hard for me to say!” Warner wrote on X.