England captain Harry Brook has dismissed suggestions of widespread ball tampering in international cricket, insisting that he has never witnessed such an incident during his career. His comments came ahead of the first ODI against Australia at Perth Stadium on November 12, 2026, as fresh allegations surrounding the infamous 2018 Sandpapergate scandal reignited debate in the cricketing world. The controversy returned to the headlines following the release of former Australia batter Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, Sabr, on November 10.
In the book, Khawaja claimed that awareness of the plan to use sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball during the 2018 Cape Town Test extended beyond the three players who were punished by Cricket Australia. He also alleged that similar activity had taken place during the previous Test in Port Elizabeth.
Responding to questions about the allegations, Brook made it clear that he had no personal knowledge of the incident. The England skipper was around 17 or 18 years old when the scandal unfolded and said his attention was firmly on the upcoming white-ball series. “I’ve never seen any ball tampering before. I wasn’t in that (Australia) dressing room. I think I was about 17 or 18 years old, so I was completely oblivious to any of that stuff,” Brook said during the pre-match press conference, as quoted by The Independent.
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He further stressed that England were concentrating on preparing for a challenging assignment against Australia in their own conditions rather than getting involved in the controversy. Sandpapergate controversy returns ahead of England-Australia series
The original scandal erupted on March 24, 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera using sandpaper to alter the ball’s condition during the Cape Town Test at Newlands. A subsequent Cricket Australia investigation resulted in significant punishments. Bancroft received a nine-month suspension from domestic cricket, while David Warner and Steve Smith were handed 12-month bans from international cricket.
Khawaja’s latest claims have attracted further attention after Warner publicly backed his former teammate’s account, describing the contents of the autobiography as ‘100% accurate’. However, Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has confirmed that the governing body will not reopen its investigation into the 2018 incident.
Former England captain Joe Root, whose first stint as skipper coincided with the original controversy, also rejected suggestions that ball tampering was commonplace among international teams during that period. “I can only speak from my own experiences and that’s not how I feel, no,” Root said, as quoted by the publication.
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Meanwhile, Brook is looking forward to the England-Australia white-ball contest at Perth Stadium, where Australia will be led by ODI captain Mitchell Marsh. The venue previously hosted the opening Test of the most recent Ashes series. “Australia against England is always a good series and we’re looking forward to kickstarting it. We’re very happy to be out here. We’re all really raring to go here at Optus Stadium, which is where the last Ashes started,” Brook added.
England will, however, have to manage their resources carefully after losing Josh Tongue to a toe injury. All-rounder Jacob Bethell has also suffered a setback after experiencing discomfort during training. Bethell, who underwent knee surgery in September, has returned to England for further scans after working towards a comeback. Brook expressed disappointment over the youngster’s latest injury setback, praising his efforts to regain fitness and hoping he would return to action soon.
