Usman Khawaja

Ricky Ponting's injury at Sydney in 2011, opened the doors for the first Muslim cricketer to represent Australia at the highest level. A qualified pilot, the highs of this achievement were unparalleled. Having moved to Australia as a kid, Usman Khawaja with the bat in his hands was identified pretty early as the boy wonder.

Honing his skills at the Valley District Cricket Club, Usman made it to the Australian under-19 squad for the 2006 World Cup. He featured in 4 games and hunted down 140 runs making an impression with his poise at the crease and crafty technique. A backlift which comes down on the ball like butter on bread, Khawaja loves to cut and pull.

Following his debut series, Usman travelled to Sri Lanka and South Africa without much of a success. The year of 2011 ended with a home series against the Kiwis and that also remained a low key affair for the then New batsman.

He was dropped post that and his next tryst with the baggy green happened during the Ashes in England in 2013 after a layoff of almost 18 months. In 3 Tests, he managed only fifty and another exile from Test cricket was handed out.

In the meanwhile, Usman had made his ODI debut at the beginning of 2013 and met a similar fate as he was dropped after three unsuccessful outings in colored clothing. Another big move that Usman had made was the move from NSW to Queensland in 2012.

His debut season at Queensland yielded 438 runs from 6 games and it got better in the succeeding season as he riled up 551 runs at an average of 50.09 in 8 games. But then occurred a career-threatening injury. He tore his ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) on his left knee and was out of cricket for the next 9 months.

Khawaja who was now aware and accustomed to the waiting game built on his patience on the sidelines. He returned to the 2015-16 season with a bang. A ton on his return game for Sydney Thunder in December 2015 made the world aware of the destruction that he can be. The T20I debut was just a mere formal announcement when the touring Indians whitewashed Australia 0-3.

All this was just before his Test comeback. Usman went onto become a permanent member of the Test team post that barring the tour to India for which he was dropped unceremoniously. But he returned for the Ashes 2017-18 and scored vital knocks over the course of the series. His couple of tons in BBL 05 ensured Sydney Thunder, the constant wooden Spooner shocked the cricketing fraternity and ended up winning the title.

With the bans of Steve Smith and David Warner in 2018, Khawaja was thrust with the responsibility of being Australia's premier batsman in Tests and he rose to the responsibility with elan. A marathon match-saving knock in UAE was the start of a dream run for the stylish left-hander who also stamped his class during the limited-overs tour of India in 2019.

His prolific run in that ODI series and the succeeding one against Pakistan in the UAE helped Khawaja book his maiden World Cup call-up in 2019. A hamstring injury early in the tournament, however, cut his campaign short. He recovered in time for the following Ashes series but a poor run of form saw him dropped from the side and it wouldn't be until 2022 that he'd make a comeback to the international setup.

After a 3-year hiatus, Khawaja returned to the Test side for the 4th Ashes Test in 2021/22 and he made a strong statement after scoring twin-centuries. He followed that up with another excellent performance in Pakistan and ended as the leading run-scorer. Khawaja proved his worth once again as he finished the highly-anticipated 2023 Ashes in England as the leading run-scorer. His contributions at the top of the order were vital in helping Australia retain the Ashes after drawing the series 2-2.

In T20s, Khawaja had a brief stint in the IPL in 2016 with the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiants. He also played a few games for the Islamabad United in the PSL and represented the Sydney Thunder in the BBL until 2022. For the 2023 season, he was signed by the Brisbane Heat and named their captain despite his slim availability due to international duties.

Interesting facts: Apart from being a professional cricketer, Khawaja is also a qualified pilot.

Usman is an ex-student of Westfields Sports School, which has also produced sportsmen of the calibre of Michael Clarke (former Australia captain), soccer player Harry Kewell and world champion discus thrower Dani Samuels.

By Cricbuzz Staff