Darren Lehmann rejects Usman Khawaja’s “it was all of us” claims

Excerpts from Usman Khawaja’s upcoming autobiography have created quite a stir in world cricket, particularly in Cricket Australia.

Darren Lehmann has rejected Usman Khawaja’s claims that the entire Australian team knew about the use of sandpaper in the third and penultimate Test, in Cape Town, of the infamous 2018 series against South Africa.

Darren Lehmann was the Australia head coach during the controversial series in 2018. (X)

Lehmann, who was the head coach of the Australian team at the time, was cleared of direct involvement or prior knowledge of the controversy. However, he resigned shortly after the four-game series, which has since gained notoriety as “Sandpapergate”.

"I don't think everyone would have known (about the use of sandpaper). You do know ball tampering is going on because it's been happening for 150 years," Lehmann told ABC Sport's Summer Grandstand.

"It's just how it's being done, and how would you know to that extent? That's an individual case-by-case, to be fair. I can only speak to what I know, and I know ball tampering was a big part of the game of cricket. Now it is obsolete. That doesn't make it right either, but that's the case, and we paid a heavy price for that," he added.

Early on Saturday morning, excerpts from Khawaja’s upcoming autobiography “Sabr”, published in the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), claimed that not only in the Cape Town Test but the ball tampering had also been attempted by the Australians in the previous Test.

"It was all of us. Not the batters, not the bowlers, not the staff. All of us," Khawaja told SMH.

After the ball-tampering incident was caught on camera, Cameron Bancroft, who secretly used sandpaper, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were suspended with different terms.

Khawaja said that once Bancroft was caught, he had suggested to the players that they better take collective responsibility.

Lehmann, however, denied any knowledge of that.

"I don't remember that. There were two change rooms obviously, and there were meetings going on everywhere. To be perfectly honest, I was in meetings with Cricket Australia a lot," said Lehmann, who was a part of the Australian team that won the ICC Men's World Cup in 1999 and 2003.

"That could have been the case, I don't know. I'm not saying yes or no to that one. There will be different points of view everywhere on this whole matter," he added.

“I was in a really dark place”

Lehmann, however, admitted the whole incident shook him badly, and questioned Khawaja's decision to bring it back after eight years.

“End of the day, Cricket Australia had their findings. It was a really tough week, two weeks, at that time, going through the process and talking to all the relevant parties. I was in a really dark place for a period of time where for four months I didn't leave my house. Eight years after the fact and trying to sell a book is a bit different. That's Usman's choice, and that's the way he wants to go,” he said.

“For the families and the people involved, I feel for them right now because it's taking them back to a really bad place. It's been eight years. You get to a place where you move on, and I've moved on with my life.”