Australia‘s long-time opening batter Usman Khawaja on Friday called time on his international career by announcing his retirement. The left-handed batter confirmed that the upcoming fifth and final Ashes Test against England would be his final game in international cricket. The 39-year-old made the announcement during a press conference with his family by his side. The southpaw informed his teammates of his decision on Friday morning.
Khawaja had made his Test debut in 2011, and the Sydney Ashes Test would be his 88th match in the longest format of the game for Australia. He was a part of Australia’s World Test Championship (WTC)-winning squad in 2023 as well.
He leaves a strong legacy off the field, being the first Pakistan-born cricketer to play for Australia and also the first Muslim cricketer to represent the country. He also represented the country in 49 ODIs.
Khawaja has so far amassed over 8000 international runs across formats, while featuring in 87 Tests, 40 ODIs, and nine T20Is. He was also named the Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2023.
“I’m here to announce today that I will be retiring from all international cricket after the SCG Test match. God, through cricket, has given me far more than I could have imagined. He’s given me memories I’ll carry forever, friendship that goes well beyond the game, and lessons that shaped me, who I am, off the field,” Khawaja told reporters on Friday.
“But no career belongs to one person. I obviously had a lot of help. To my parents, thank you for your sacrifices that never made the highlights reel,” he added.
Khawaja’s second coming
Khawaja will fittingly end his career in his home town of Sydney, where he also made his debut against England in 2011. The ground also saw Khawaja reviving his Test career as a 35-year-old, after he hit twin centuries against England when Travis Head missed the match in early 2022 with Covid.
“Funnily enough, I live just up the road from the SCG, on Cook Road, to be exact,” he said.
“And as a boy, whose parents were barely scraping through in trying to provide for their kids in a little two-bedroom apartment, I thought, ‘One day, I’m going to be a Test cricketer,” added Khawaja.
Speaking of the ongoing Ashes, Australia lead the five-match series 3-1. Khawaja played the series opener but was unable to bat in the second innings due to a back spasm, resulting in Travis Head opening the batting and eventually playing a match-winning knock.
Khawaja then missed the second Test in Brisbane and he was all set to be dropped for the third game in Adelaide but a last-minute injury setback to Steve Smith resulted in the left-handed batter being asked to play in the middle order.
