Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja has revealed that he was left “flabbergasted” when Tim Paine was appointed Australia's interim captain following the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal. The former opener believed he had stronger credentials for the position, having been a regular member of the national team and captained Queensland and Australia A on several occasions.

Usman Khawaja has also suggested that his Pakistani background played a part in the decision to overlook him. He believes Australian cricket was not ready to appoint a brown captain, even on an interim basis, after Steve Smith and David Warner stepped down from their leadership roles during the Cape Town Test against South Africa.

Usman Khawaja defends his bombshell revelations on Sandpapergate scandal

Khawaja has stood by his recent claims that Australia's players and staff knew about the use of sandpaper during the 2018 South Africa tour. His comments challenged the findings of Cricket Australia's original investigation, which held Smith, Warner and Cameron Bancroft responsible for the ball-tampering plot.

The retired batter addressed the reaction through an Instagram post, arguing that the three players had carried the consequences for something he believed should have been treated as a collective responsibility. He also made clear that he was not apologetic about sharing his account, saying he wanted his former teammates to receive justice after years of criticism.

Khawaja's revelations have attracted fresh attention because they challenge the version of events that Australian cricket had maintained for eight years. Cricket Australia has continued to defend its investigation, while Khawaja insists that the full story had not been told.

I was a natural selection for interim captain, but was overlooked - Usman Khawaja

The leadership change happened during the third Test in Cape Town after Smith and Warner announced that they were stepping down as captain and vice-captain. With the scandal unfolding and the team needing an immediate replacement, wicketkeeper-batter Paine was handed the captaincy for the remainder of the match and subsequently led Australia.

Usman Khawaja was surprised by the decision. He believed his experience, seniority and leadership record made him a strong candidate. He also suggested that his involvement in disputes with Cricket Australia over player payments may have worked against him when officials made the appointment.

“On the other hand, I’d been a regular player for Australia and a leader with the bat. I’d captained Queensland for a few years, and countless Australia A teams in the last three years,” Khawaja said, as quoted by CODE Sports.

“I was a natural selection for interim captain, but was overlooked. I knew why. One reason was that I’d been a main protagonist during those pay disputes with CA and the board – and the board was who appointed the captain. On that basis alone, they probably weren’t going to give it to me.”

They weren’t ready for a brown Australian cricket captain, even as an interim - Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja believes there was another factor behind his omission. The Pakistan-born batter has alleged that his ethnicity influenced the decision, suggesting Australian cricket was not prepared to have a captain from a South Asian background at that time.

He also felt he deserved at least the vice-captaincy, but the positions went to Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh. Khawaja stated:

“They weren’t ready for a brown Australian cricket captain, even as an interim.

“It’s cool, but at minimum I should have got the vice-captaincy. Instead, they’d given it to Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh. For one of the more mature players, who’d been captaining his own state for a few years, that was a kick in the guts.”