Live Update: Khawaja alerted Cummins and the CA boss to the contents of the “Sandper” memoirs before the South African tour. Usman Khawaja briefed Pat Cummins and Cricket Australia boss Todd Greenberg on the contents of Sandpergate in his upcoming book before the team left for South Africa.
Khawaja alerted Cummins and the CA boss to the memoir’s ‘Sandper’ booklet ahead of the South Africa tour (Photo source: Robbie Stephenson/PA Images via ) Usman Khawaja has personally informed Pat Cummins and Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg that his upcoming memoirs will include a booklet about the 2018 Sandpergate scandal, ahead of the Australian team’s departure to South Africa. Khawaja sat down with Cummins over coffee in Brisbane to explain what the book would reveal. This was a deliberate measure to ensure that neither the boat nor the board were caught by surprise once the tour began. Greenberg later confirmed to the Sydney Morning Herald that he and Cummins had received this warning from Khawaja ahead of the South Africa series.
Greenberg also made it clear that the book will not reach readers while the tour is still ongoing. The 448-page memoir, titled Sabr: Finding My Way in Cricket and Life, is scheduled to be published by Penguin Books Australia on November 10, 2026 in hardcover, e-book and audiobook formats. Why does the grinder have particular importance on this tour?
Khawaja was a member of the Australian team that toured South Africa in 2018 when the ball-tampering scandal broke during the Ce Town Test. Cricket Australia’s investigation at the time identified David Warner as the leader of the Sandper conspiracy, with Cameron Bancroft as a player filmed using the Sandper towards the ball. Khawaja has long been a close friend of Warner’s, and this personal connection gives his written account of these events a significance far beyond that of a standard memoir.
The timing of the current tour also served to bring the original incident back into the public eye through other channels. SuperSport released a three-minute and 49-second clip on social media platform X showing Bancroft dragging the ball during the 2018 game. These images were shared publicly in the days leading up to the first Test between Australia and South Africa, scheduled to begin in Durban on October 9, 2026.
The combination of viral images and forthcoming memoir has placed Sandpergate firmly at the center of public discussion about Australian cricket. What does Greenberg’s clarification say about the book’s publication? Greenberg’s public statement draws a clear line between the current tour and the release of Khawaja’s report.
The release date of November 10, 2026 means that the book dedicated to Sandpergate, as well as everything the memoirs contain about these events, will not be available to the public until after the series on South Africa has ended. At this time, no administrative or disciplinary proceedings related to the content of the work have been confirmed. Specific details of what Khawaja wrote about the 2018 scandal remain confidential prior to publication.
Only the existence of the charter has been confirmed by available sources. Khawaja’s decision to inform both the ctain and general manager before his departure suggests that he expected the contract to attract widespread attention and that he chose transparency with Cricket Australia management rather than allowing the revelations to come to light without warning during a live international series.
