Pakistan-born Australian Khawaja, set to retire from cricket

Veteran Australia batter Usman Khawaja has announced he will retire from international cricket after the fifth Ashes test beginning Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He didn’t go quietly The Pakistan-born Khawaja, who was the first Muslim to play for Australia, used his retirement announcement Friday to criticise the “racial” stereotyping he experienced during his career.

It will be the 39-year-old Khawaja’s 88th and final test — played at the ground where he began his first-class career. Khawaja scored his first Ashes century at the SCG with 171 against England in 2018.  It was also at that the SCG where he revived his career at age 35, scoring two centuries against England. That prompted one of the great late-career revivals, as Khawaja hit seven centuries in his next two years back in the side.

But Khawaja’s position had come under scrutiny and criticism this season after being unable to open in the first Ashes test in Perth due to back spasms and then missing the Brisbane test with the injury. He was then initially left out in Adelaide until Steve Smith’s vertigo allowed Khawaja to return, before an 82 in the first innings there ensured he would stay in the side for the fourth test in Melbourne.

Australia, with a 3-1 lead going into the fifth test, has retained the Ashes. Khawaja said he felt he was treated “a little bit different, even to now,” because of his Pakistan and Muslim background. “Different in the way I’ve been treated, different in how things have happened,” he said at a media conference in Sydney. “I had back spasms, it was something I couldn’t control. 

The way the media and the past players came out and attacked me. I copped it for about five days straight. Everyone was piling in. “Once the racial stereotypes came in, of me being lazy, it was things I’ve dealt with my whole life. Pakistani, West Indian, colored players...We’re selfish, we only care about ourselves, we don’t care about the team, we don’t train hard enough.”

Khawaja was criticised in the days leading up to the Perth match for golfing twice and not taking part in an optional training session. Some commentators suggested the golf might have been responsible for his back issues. “I can give you countless number of guys who have played golf the day before a match and have been injured, but you guys haven’t said a thing,” Khawaja told the assembled media.

“I can give you even more examples of guys who have had 15 schooners (large glasses of beer) the night before a game and have then been injured, but no one said a word because they were just being Aussie larrikins,’ they were just being lads. But when I get injured, everyone went at my credibility and who I am as a person. Khawaja said he knew the end of his career was imminent.

“I guess moving into this series, I had an inkling this would be the last series,” he said. “I’m glad I can go out on my own terms.” Khawaja has scored 6,206 runs at an average of 43.49 in his 87 tests with 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries. “Usman has made a huge contribution to Australian cricket both through his outstanding achievements as one of our most stylish and resilient batters.

 And off field, particularly through the Usman Khawaja Foundation,” Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement. “Usman has been one of Australia’s most reliable opening batters and testament to his success was him being named ICC test cricketer of the year the same season that Australia won the World Test Championship (in 2023).” Khawaja said his No. 1 emotion on announcing his retirement was “contentment.” “I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said.