Retiring veteran batter Usman Khawaja has hit out at racial stereotypes in Australian cricket, saying he has been treated differently throughout his career because of his race and religion.
Khawaja, the first Muslim to play Test cricket for Australia, said at a 50-minute press conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), where he announced his international retirement, that he wanted to make life easier for “the next Usman Khawaja”.
The veteran batter said he is still battling stereotypes in his final season, claiming that some of the criticism of his Ashes preparation carried racial undertones.
Speaking at the press conference alongside his wife Rachel and their two daughters, Khawaja also addressed the criticism he faced for playing three days of golf before the Perth Test, where he suffered back spasms that prevented him from opening in both innings.
“I had back spasms, and it was something I couldn’t control. The way the media and past players came out and attacked me… I could have copped it for two days, but I copped it for about five days straight,” Khawaja said.
He continued: “These are the same racial stereotypes I’ve grown up with my whole life. We obviously haven’t fully moved past them, because I’ve never seen anyone treated like that in the Australian cricket team before — not for uncontrollables, the way you guys went at me.
“There’s still a little bit out there, which I still have to fight every single day, which is the frustrating thing for me.
“I can give you countless examples of guys who have played golf the day before a Test and been injured, and you guys haven’t said a thing.
“I can give you even more examples of guys who have had 15 schooners the night before and then gotten injured — no one said a word. That’s all right, they’re just being Aussie larrikins, right? They’re just being lads.
“But when I got injured, everyone went at my credibility and who I am as a person. So for me, that was the frustrating part.”
Khawaja was a key figure in shaping Cricket Australia’s Multicultural Action Plan, launched in 2023. He said cricket in Australia is more welcoming now than it was earlier.
“There’s still a bit to go, but the sport is definitely in a better spot. There are still challenges. If you look at Australia, it’s such a multicultural community. If you look at the level of participation we have in cricket, particularly from the subcontinent, we don’t always see that reflected at the top level.
“I get it — the Australian cricket team is hard to make. There are only 11 spots. It’s not easy, and we don’t want to just gift people places. But there’s still an undertone here and there. There are still challenges to be faced,” he said.
(IANS)
