Portugal lost to Spain in a penalty shootout in the futsal tournament semi-final in Brazil

Former Australian player Usman Khawaja made a shocking statement regarding the 'Sandpapergate' incident of 2018. He asserts that information about the ball manipulation was known not only to Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft, but to the entire Australian team.

According to Khawaja, similar use of sandpaper occurred previously in the match between Gekebrah and South Africa. These statements were made by him in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, and are also mentioned in his forthcoming autobiography, 'Sabr'. Khawaja emphasized: 'It was all of us. Neither players, nor bowlers, nor staff were different. We all knew about it.'

He noted that after the incident, he appealed to the team players to take collective responsibility for what happened. However, his opinion was ignored, and Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft received punishments.

In March 2018, during a match in Cape Town against South Africa, Cameron Bancroft was filmed sanding the surface of the ball with sandpaper. Following this, then-captain Steve Smith admitted that a group of team leaders had planned the ball manipulation.

After the investigation, Cricket Australia imposed sanctions: Steve Smith and David Warner received a 12-month ban each, and Cameron Bancroft was suspended for nine months. Additionally, Smith was banned from captaining for another 12 months. David Warner's lifetime captaincy ban was lifted in 2024.

Usman Khawaja also questioned the investigation process itself. He stated that he was present with Cameron Bancroft throughout the match, but Cricket Australia did not interview him. He expected contact from officials but was not reached. Khawaja believes that management knew he would speak about the team's collective responsibility, which is why his testimony may not have been accepted.

He expressed surprise that the investigation concluded and the players were punished, yet he was never asked about it. Khawaja mentioned that before the recent tour to South Africa, he told Pat Cummins about his intention to openly write about the dispute in his book. He feels that Steve Smith, David Warner, and Cameron Bancroft carried the burden of this incident alone for too long, and now he wants to reveal the truth to put this dispute behind them.

In the final match of the three-match unofficial test series between India A and New Zealand A, held at the Bert Sachliff Oval in Lincoln, Yashwe Jaiswal batted. On the first day, November 7 (Saturday), Jaiswal demonstrated outstanding batting performance, scoring 102 runs off 138 balls, including 16 fours and 2 sixes. His wicket was taken by Daner Ferns.

This century was Jaiswal's nineteenth and his second consecutive century in his first-class career. Previously, in the second match of the series, played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch, he also showed brilliant form for India A, scoring 155 runs without being dismissed in his second innings.

In the current match, Yashwe Jaiswal received excellent support from Sai Sudarshan. Their partnership for the first wicket brought the team 175 runs, putting the New Zealand bowlers in a difficult position. India did not lose a single wicket in the first session. The first achievement for New Zealand A was recorded in the session where Jaiswal was playing.

The India A squad includes stars such as Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, and Prasidh Krishna. These three players have had a great opportunity to regain physical fitness before the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, which starts on November 19. The first two matches of this series between India A and New Zealand A ended in a draw, making this match crucial for the entire series.

The India A squad included Yashwe Jaiswal, Sai Sudarshan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruva Jurel (captain/wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Jasprit Bumrah, Mukesh Kumar, and Mukesh Choudhary. The New Zealand A squad consisted of Rhys Marius (captain), Curtis Hiffin, Dean Foxcroft, Matthew Boyle, Tim Robinson, Max Chu (wicketkeeper), Cameron Paul, Brett Randall, Daner Ferns, Jack Gibson, and Jerrod Mayke.