David Warner backs Usman Khawaja's claims, calls Cricket Australia's investigation into Sandpapergate 'botched'

David Warner has labelled Cricket Australia's investigation into the Sandpapergate scandal as "botched" and thrown his support behind former teammate Usman Khawaja, who recently made explosive claims about the infamous incident.

Warner shared a video on Instagram backing Khawaja's assertions regarding the ball-tampering scandal, describing them as "100% accurate". Warner is currently in Nepal for the Nepal Premier League (NPL).

"Hi everyone, it's been eight years since I've spoken on this topic and, Uzzi, I throw my full support behind you. I thank you for what you've done. It's 100% accurate what you've said," Warner said in the video posted on Instagram.

"Now everyone knows the truth. It's out there. People wanted to know it, and you've come out and said it. Now people are asking why, eight years later, you're talking about it and claiming you're trying to sell a book. This is Usman's story. This is what Usman believes.

"Uzzi wrote down every single thing from that day onwards. Uzzi, thank you. This entire interview process was rushed and botched.

"Uzzi was sitting next to Cameron Bancroft. Uzzi was never interviewed. How is that a thorough investigation? It baffles me. We're not here to point fingers, nor are we reopening old wounds.

"This is about accountability and transparency, ensuring that the truth is properly examined. Perhaps it's time people stop scrutinising the person asking for accountability and start asking those responsible for the investigation to provide it. There have been numerous statements and inaccuracies circulated in the media over the last eight years, while many people chose to stay silent."

In an interview with the Nine newspapers, Khawaja claimed that the entire Australian team was aware of the sandpaper plan, including its use on the ball during the Gqeberha Test before the tour moved to Newlands, where Cameron Bancroft was caught on camera applying sandpaper to the ball. Khawaja also alleged that despite spending the entire Cape Town Test seated alongside Bancroft, he was never interviewed by Cricket Australia (CA) as part of its investigation into the incident.

For the uninitiated, Cricket Australia sent its then head of integrity, Iain Roy, and team performance manager Pat Howard to Cape Town to conduct a code of conduct investigation into the ball-tampering scandal. The findings resulted in a nine-month ban for Bancroft, while Steve Smith and Warner were each handed one-year suspensions.