Usman Khawaja announces retirement from international cricket after fifth Ashes Test in Sydney
Usman Khawaja set to retire from international cricket after the fifth and final Ashes Test match against England at the SCG.
New Delhi: Australian batter Usman Khawaja has announced his retirement from international cricket. He will play his last and 88th Test match against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where he started his first-class career.
The 39-year-old informed his teammates about the decision on Friday morning, bringing an end to a brilliant Test career that started in 2011. He got his Australian cap, replacing Ricky Ponting, who was injured. So far, Khawaja has scored 6206 runs in 87 Test matches at an average of 43.1.
'Never did I think that one day I would be a Test cricketer'
Khawaja, in his emotional retirement speech, said that he lived just up the road from the SCG and would never forget when he was younger and saw Michael Slater driving a red Ferrari, thinking he couldn't believe his luck.
"I'll never forget when I was younger, I saw Michael Slater drive in his red Ferrari. I couldn't believe my luck, I just saw a Test cricketer. And as a boy whose parents were barely scraping through and trying to provide for their kids in a little two-bedroom apartment, I thought, 'One day I'm going to be a Test cricketer, and one day I can drive whatever I want," Khawaja said.
The Australian cricketer further added that he never thought that God would grant him such a wish. "I'm here to announce today that I'll be retiring from all international cricket after the SCG Test match," he added.
Khawaja was born in Pakistan and raised in Australia. He became Australia's first Pakistan-born and first Muslim Test cricketer. The batter further added that he's a proud Muslim from Pakistan, who was told that he would never play for the Australian cricket team.
"I hope I repaid your sacrifice in leaving everything behind in Pakistan to come to Australia to give us kids a better life," Khawaja added.
After a decent start to his international career, Khawaja had to rebuild himself in domestic cricket and moved from New South Wales to Queensland in 2012. He led Queensland to the Sheffield Shield title in the 2020-21 season, scoring over 15,000 first-class runs overall.
His Test career was revived during the 2021-22 Ashes, after he smashed twin centuries on his return at the SCG. He continued his brilliant form in Pakistan and England. Khawaja finished as the highest run-getter in the 2023 Ashes, where Australia retained the urn.
He was named ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and Shane Warne Test Cricketer of the Year in 2023, playing a crucial role in Australia's World Test Championship victory.