Usman Khawaja, the first and only Muslim to represent Australia in Test cricket, made an impassioned retirement statement on Friday. The 39-year-old Pakistani-born cricketer announced that the Test match to be held in Sydney will be his last. Khawaja’s departure from international cricket marks the end of a significant chapter, as he has played 88 Tests and is Australia’s 15th greatest run-scorer with 6,206 runs.
In what was already an emotionally charged moment, Khawaja was joined at the podium during the press conference by members of his family, including his son and mother. He mentioned that he had only just told his teammates about his decision right before walking in the room. Khawaja became a bit emotional as he began to cry. He looked back on his cricket career, with the highs and lows that brings.
Khawaja spoke about the pressure he was put under all summer about his position in the order and in the side. So his performance was under a spotlight. This increased scrutiny came on the heels of his back spasms that kept him out of this year’s Brisbane Test. Khawaja would overcome those early difficulties to flaunt an impressive seven centuries across his first two years back into the national setup.
In his statement, Khawaja drew attention again to the persistent problems within his sport that he believes must be confronted. He expressed frustration over the perception of his injuries, specifically referencing criticism he received for playing golf shortly before the Perth Test. He noted that a majority of the players do the exact same thing and don’t get anywhere near that kind of scrutiny.
“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.” – Usman Khawaja
For Khawaja, one of the key differences in disposition towards players that are injured is how their status is treated within a team. He remarked on the difference in reception as some players get sympathy when they go down while players like him are subjected to unfair scrutiny.
“Rather than normally when someone gets injured, you feel a little bit sorry for them and a little bit of remorse — ‘poor Josh Hazlewood’ or ‘poor Nathan Lyon’ for getting injured. We feel sorry for them, we don’t attack them.” – Usman Khawaja
As he prepares to close this chapter of his life, Khawaja takes time to look back. He shares his thoughts on the overall social problems that intersect with his identity as a Muslim athlete in Australia. He spoke openly about the challenges he encounters with his art, in his life, his fight for equality and freedom.
“I still find it hard when I say that everyone deserves freedom and that Palestinians deserve freedom and equal rights, and why that’s a big issue.” – Usman Khawaja
Khawaja’s farewell Test will be an emotional send-off on a personal level. The cricketing community will join us in celebrating Ojha’s contributions, in his years of service and especially during events like this. After much soul-searching, he has chosen not to return to work and to retire. When he was in Adelaide last month for this short, five-game series, he was forced to acknowledge that this would probably be his last.
