Australian opener Usman Khawaja says the fallout from the sandpaper scandal that rocked world cricket four years hasn’t been discussed as the hosts prepare to face South Africa in a Test match for the first time since that fiery series.
While David Warner recently decided to drop his appeal over a lifetime leadership ban that was issued as a result of what happened in Cape Town back in 2018, the incident itself has not been a talking point for his teammates leading into the first Test in Brisbane.
Six members of the team that lost the match – including Warner and Steve Smith who were both suspended – are set to play at the Gabba as the Aussies look to continue their hot start to the Test summer.
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The ball-tampering incident has been a hot topic in the lead-up to the match, but Khawaja insists that the players have left it in the past.
“I’m being genuine that time heals all wounds. I guess in a way the guys have come so far from that,’’ Khawaja said.
“Obviously, being part of that tour I know we are a very different Australian cricket team from what we were back then – the way we go about it, the way we play.
“A lot of the guys have matured as cricketers and humans. They are a bit older, a couple more kids, we play our cricket differently.
“It’s the first time we have played South Africa after what happened, but everyone has got so many things happening in their lives from where they were four years ago. I think that actually gave the guys a lot of perspective.”
A lot has changed since then with Pat Cummins now in charge of a team that has focused more on cricket rather than intimidating opposition with verbal barrages.
Khawaja endured a rocky few years going in and out of the team, but he’s now one of the most consistent batters in world cricket and enters the series with a career-best 1066 runs in 2022.
“Australian cricket as a whole and as individual players probably hit rock bottom. It gives you a lot of time to reflect on things. Guys have genuinely learnt a lot from that incident,” he said.
“I look at where the guys were four years ago and where the guys are now and there has been a lot of growing up.
“I probably got to see it better than most because I was in the team, then I went away and came back in and it is a nice change.’’
