Usman Khawaja

Usman Tariq Khawaja (Urdu: عثمان خواجہ‎; born 18 December 1986) is an Australian cricketer who currently represents Australia and Queensland. Khawaja made his first-class cricket debut for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Australia in January 2011. Khawaja has also played county cricket for Derbyshire, Glamorgan and Lancashire, and Twenty20 cricket in the Indian Premier League for the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant franchise.

Usman Khawaja

Khawaja in January 2018
Personal information
Full name	Usman Tariq Khawaja
Born	18 December 1986 Islamabad, Pakistan
Nickname	Usie
Height	1.77[1] m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Top-order batsman
International information
National side	Australia (2011–present)
Test debut (cap 419)	3 January 2011 v England
Last Test	22 August 2019 v England
ODI debut (cap 199)	11 January 2013 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI	6 July 2019 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	1
T20I debut (cap 80)	31 January 2016 v India
Last T20I	9 September 2016 v Sri Lanka
T20I shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2007–2012	New South Wales
2012	Derbyshire
2011–present	Sydney Thunder
2012–present	Queensland
2014–2015	Lancashire
2016–2017	Rising Pune Supergiant
2018	Glamorgan
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 44 40 151 114 Runs scored 2,887 1,554 10,029 5,007 Batting average 40.66 42.00 41.96 48.14 100s/50s 8/14 2/12 28/49 14/28 Top score 174 104 214 166 Balls bowled 12 – 162 – Wickets 0 – 1 – Bowling average – – 103.00 – 5 wickets in innings – – 0 – 10 wickets in match – – 0 – Best bowling – – 1/21 – Catches/stumpings 35/– 13/– 109/– 42/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 10 December 2019

Domestic career

Khawaja in 2011

A left-handed top order batsman, Khawaja was awarded Player of the Australian Under-19 Championship in 2005 and also played for Australia in the 2006 U-19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka as an opening batsman.

He made his first-class debut for the New South Wales Blues in 2008.[2] In the same year, he hit consecutive double centuries for the NSW Second XI—a feat never before achieved by a NSW player.[3] On 22 June 2010 it was announced by Cricket Australia that Usman Khawaja would be a part of the Australian touring squad to play Pakistan in a two Test series in England.

Since 2011, Khawaja has played for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. In BBL05, he was the second highest run scorer (345 runs) and averaged 172.50 runs per match.

Khawaja signed a contract to play for county side Derbyshire in the 2011 English domestic season.[4] He played in four County Championship matches, averaging 39.87 with the bat and scoring a century (135) against Kent.[5][6] After his county stint, he made five further Test appearances in 2011, scoring one half-century (65) against South Africa. He was dropped from Australia's Test team after the home series against New Zealand, making way for Shaun Marsh upon Marsh's return from injury.[7]

Lancashire signed Khawaja as an overseas player for the 2014 county season for all formats. Khawaja scored 86 runs on his debut against Durham but in vain as Lancashire lost by 27 runs.

He plays club cricket for Valley District Cricket Club in Brisbane.

In August 2015, Khawaja was appointed as captain of the Queensland cricket team, replacing previous captain James Hopes.[8]

In April 2018, he was signed by Glamorgan County Cricket Club to play in the 2018 Vitality Blast tournament in England.[9]

International career

Khawaja was selected as part of the 17-man Australian squad for the 2010–11 Ashes series. During the third Test, Ricky Ponting fractured his finger and Khawaja was named as a stand-by if Ponting could not recover in time. He was subsequently selected in the Australian cricket team to play in the fifth Test against England in Sydney on 3 January 2011.[10][11] On 3 January 2011, Khawaja became the 419th Australian to be presented with an Australian Cricket Test baggy green cap. Khawaja became the first Muslim and first Pakistani-born Australian player to play Test cricket for Australia,[12][13] and only the seventh foreign-born cricketer to do so in the last 80 years.[14]

Before the third Test against India in March 2013, Australia suspended Khawaja, along with James Pattinson, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson following a breach of discipline.[15] Michael Clarke, the captain, revealed that the step had been taken as a result of repeated infractions which led to Watson flying back home and contemplating Test retirement.[16] Some former players reacted with astonishment at the decision taken by the team management.[17] Khawaja made his Test return in the second Test of the 2013 Ashes series, replacing Ed Cowan.

In his first Test in more than two years, he scored his maiden Test century, in the first Test against New Zealand on 5 November 2015, in which he scored 174 with 16 fours and 2 sixes. He made this return in his tenth Test in the coveted number 3 position, helping Australia to an emphatic victory.[18]

Since his return to Test cricket, Khawaja has scored 4 centuries in 6 matches.

He made his Twenty20 International debut for Australia against India on 31 January 2016.[19]

During the 2015–16 season, Khawaja was in spectacular form for Australia and his domestic T20 franchise the Sydney Thunder, with many pundits hailing his renaissance as a batsman since being dropped from the Australian team in 2013 and recovering from an injury in 2015. He also switched to using Kookaburra equipment.[20]

Additionally, Khawaja set a record for becoming the first ever batsman to score a Test century in an innings of a Day-Night Test match at home soil and still has the record for the second highest individual score in a Day-Night Test innings.

Khawaja played his first Test match against the country of his birth, Pakistan, on 15 December 2016 at the Gabba. When asked about the significance of the match, he described a moment of confusion outside the change rooms:

"Funnily enough I was waiting downstairs and I needed the change room locker to be opened for us and I was just waiting and the Queensland Cricket lady came down. She was like 'Oh, you need the locker rooms open?' I went 'yes please' and she started walking to the Pakistani change room. I was like, 'No, I'm that way, thank you'.[21]

In January 2017 Khawaja dabbed in celebration of his half-century scored in a Test match against Pakistan in Sydney. His move received mixed reactions, with some praising it, while others accused him of disrespecting his opponents.[22]

In April 2018, he was awarded a national contract by Cricket Australia for the 2018–19 season.[23][24] He played a match saving innings against Pakistan in the first test in 2018 at Dubai.

In April 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[25][26] In Australia's final group-stage match, against South Africa, Khawaja picked up a hamstring injury, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament. Matthew Wade was named as cover for him.[27]

In July 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes series in England.[28][29] In the series, he returned the scores of 13, 40, 36, 2, 8 and 23, failing to convince.[30] Therefore, for the fourth Ashes Test, Steve Smith replaced Khawaja after returning from concussion, whilst Marnus Labuschagne retained his place in the side.[31]

On 16 July 2020, Khawaja was named in a 26-man preliminary squad of players to begin training ahead of a possible tour to England following the COVID-19 pandemic[32][33] He was not included in the final squad for the tour.

International centuries

As of 14 March 2019, he has scored 8 test and 2 ODI centuries.[34]

Personal life

Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, and his family emigrated to New South Wales when he was 5. He became the first Australian of Pakistani origin to represent Australia when he made his debut in the 2010–11 Ashes series. He is a qualified commercial and instrument-rated pilot, completing a bachelor's degree in Aviation from the University of New South Wales before he made his Test debut. He attained his basic pilot licence before his driving licence.[35] He was educated at Westfields Sports High School. Usman Khawaja announced his engagement on 14 December 2016 on his Facebook page.[36] and subsequently married his wife Rachel on 6 April 2018.[37] Rachel Khawaja[38] (née McLellan) converted to Islam prior to their wedding.[37]

References

1. "Usman Khawaja". cricket.com.au. Cricket Australia. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
2. Stevenson, Andrew (12 February 2008). "Sky is the self-imposed limit for Blues' Muslim debutant". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
3. "Warner puts the Blues on notice as Australia put him on standby". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
4. "Usman Khawaja signs county deal". Herald Sun. 21 January 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
5. "Khawaja agrees to Derbyshire return". ESPNcricinfo. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
6. "Kent v Derbyshire". sportinglife.com. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
7. "Australia batsman Ricky Ponting now likely to play through 2013 Ashes, News Limited's Malcolm Conn says". Fox Sports. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
8. "Khawaja named Queensland captain". Cricinfo. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
9. "Khawaja joins Glamorgan for T20 campaign". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
10. Andrew Wu. "Ponting out, Khawaja in for Sydney Test". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
11. "Australia pick Usman Khawaja and Michael Beer for Test". BBC Sport. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
12. "Australians replace captain Ponting with first Muslim player". CNN. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
13. Nicolussi, Christian (8 January 2011). "Andrew Hilditch keeps faith in NSW trio Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Phillip Hughes". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
14. Pringle, Derek (2 January 2011). "The Ashes: Australia pin hopes on old and the new in Michael Beer and Usman Khawaja for Sydney Test". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
15. "Shane Watson one of four dropped by Australia for discipline breach". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
16. "Latest incident not isolated: Clarke". Wisden India. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
17. "Never heard anything so stupid: Mark Waugh". Wisden India. Archived from the original on 14 March 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2013.
18. Brettig, Daniel (4 November 2015). "David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja dominant". Cricinfo. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
19. "India tour of Australia, 3rd T20I: Australia v India at Sydney, Jan 31, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
20. "Usman Khawaja Team Kookaburra | Aus Site". www.kookaburra.biz. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
21. "'Very Australian' Khawaja set to take on country of birth".
22. Ferris, Sam. "Khawaja's celebration ignites debate". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
23. "Carey, Richardson gain contracts as Australia look towards World Cup". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
24. "Five new faces on CA contract list". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
25. "Smith and Warner make World Cup return; Handscomb and Hazlewood out". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
26. "Smith, Warner named in Australia World Cup squad". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
27. "Khawaja out of World Cup; recovery to take three-four weeks". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
28. "Australia name 17-man Ashes squad". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
29. "Bancroft, Wade and Mitchell Marsh earn Ashes call-ups". ESPNcricinfo. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
30. "Usman Khawaja produced some great innings but patience has run out". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
31. "Khawaja axed as Smith returns for Old Trafford Test". Cricingif. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
32. "Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis in expanded Australia training squad for possible England tour". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
33. "Aussies name huge 26-player group with eye on UK tour". Cricket Australia. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
34. "Usman Khawaja/Statsguru/Test Centuries". EspnCricinfo.
35. Pringle, Derek (3 January 2011). "The Ashes: Australia v England, fifth Test, day one lunch report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
36. "Engagement photo".
37. "Usman Khawaja marries Rachel McLellan at Maleny Manor". couriermail.com.au.
38. "Rachel Khawaja (@rachelmkhawaja) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com.

External links

• Usman Khawaja at ESPNcricinfo