Former Australia opener Usman Khawaja will join Sky Sports as part of its broadcast team for next summer's Ashes series. Sky Sports finalised an agreement with the recently retired batter before the release of his autobiography, Sabr, which has reignited the controversy surrounding the 2018 Sandpaper-Gate scandal.

The left-handed batter retired from international cricket in January 2026 after the final Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where he had also made his debut in 2011. Khawaja played 23 Ashes Tests across seven series, giving him experience of the rivalry from both sides of the contest.

Usman Khawaja Set to Join Sky Sports for First Three Ashes Tests

According to The Telegraph, Usman Khawaja is expected to feature in Sky Sports' coverage of the first three Tests at Trent Bridge, Lord's and Edgbaston. He will bring valuable insight into Australia's players, having shared the dressing room with them during his international career.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting is expected to return for the final two Tests at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton and The Oval. Although Ponting regularly features on Sky's coverage, his coaching commitments in Major League Cricket in the United States mean he is set to miss the opening part of the series.

Another former Australia captain, Mark Taylor, is also expected to join the broadcast team alongside former England fast bowler Mark Wood. The network has assembled an experienced group of former players for the five-match series.

'It Was All of Us' - Usman Khawaja Challenges Australia's Bowlers Over Sandpaper-Gate

In Sabr, Usman Khawaja challenged the bowlers' long-standing claim that they knew nothing about the plan to use sandpaper on the ball during the Cape Town Test in 2018. He claimed that the entire dressing room knew about the incident.

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

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon issued a joint statement in 2021 after Cameron Bancroft's interview raised questions about their knowledge of the plan.

David Warner served a one-year suspension after the investigation identified him as the architect of the plan. Bancroft, who was caught applying sandpaper to the ball, received a nine-month ban, while then-captain Steve Smith was also suspended for 12 months.

Usman Khawaja Finishes Australia Career With 8,024 International Runs

Usman Khawaja finished his 15-year international career with 8,024 runs across 137 matches in all three formats. The left-handed batter scored 6,229 runs in 88 Tests at an average of 42.96, including 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries, with his highest Test score of 232 coming against Sri Lanka in 2025.

In ODIs, he amassed 1,554 runs in 40 matches at an average of 42.00, with two centuries and 12 half-centuries. He also scored 241 runs in nine T20Is at a strike rate of 132.42.

Khawaja made history in January 2011 when he became the first Muslim and Pakistani-heritage cricketer to represent Australia at the Test level. After losing his place in the side in 2019, he made a successful return in January 2022, scoring twin centuries against England at the SCG.

Khawaja won the 2023 ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year award. He also played a key role in Australia's World Test Championship triumph in 2023. Khawaja was one of only two Australian batters, alongside Allan Border, to score Test centuries in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.