Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja
Refer to caption
Khawaja in January 2018
Personal information
Full name Usman Tariq Khawaja
Born (1986-12-18) 18 December 1986
Islamabad, Pakistan
Nickname Uzzie, Smooth
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Batting Left hand bat
Bowling Right arm medium
Role Top order batsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 419) 3 January 2011 v England
Last Test 7 October 2018 v Pakistan
ODI debut (cap 199) 11 January 2013 v Sri Lanka
Last ODI 22 January 2017 v Pakistan
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
YearsTeam
2007–2012 New South Wales (squad no. 18)
2011–2012 Derbyshire
2011–present Sydney Thunder (squad no. 18)
2012–present Queensland
2014–2015 Lancashire
2016–2017 Rising Pune Supergiant (squad no. 100)
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA
Matches 34 18 113 82
Runs scored 2,452 469 7,762 3,377
Batting average 44.58 31.28 44.14 45.69
100s/50s 7/13 0/4 21/39 9/19
Top score 174 98 214 188
Balls bowled 6 0 156 0
Wickets 0 0 1 0
Bowling average – – 99.00 –
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0
Best bowling – – 1/21 –
Catches/stumpings 25/– 3/– 85/– 27/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 11 October 2018

Usman Tariq Khawaja (Urdu: عثمان خواجہ‬‎; born 18 December 1986) is a Pakistani-born 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 Rising Pune Supergiant franchise.

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 batman to score 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.

Personal life

Khawaja was born in Islamabad, Pakistan, and his family immigrated to New South Wales when he was 5. He became the first Muslim cricketer 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.[25] He was educated at Westfields Sports High School. Usman Khawaja announced his engagement on 14 December 2016 on his Facebook page.[26] and subsequently married his wife Rachel on April 6, 2018 [27]. Rachel Khawaja[28] (née McLellan) converted to Islam prior to their wedding[27]

Career best performances

Batting
Score Fixture Venue Season
Test 174 Australia v New Zealand The Gabba, Brisbane 2015/16 [29]
ODI 98 West Indies v Australia Warner Park, Basseterre 2016/17 [30]
T20I 58 Australia v Bangladesh M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore 2015/16 [31]
FC 214 South Australia v New South Wales Adelaide Oval, Adelaide 2010/11 [32]
LA 166 Queensland v Tasmania North Sydney Oval, Sydney 2014/15 [33]
T20 109* Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder MCG, Melbourne 2015/16 [34]

International centuries

Test centuries

Usman Khawaja's Test centuries
#RunsMatchAgainstVenueCity/CountryYearResult
117410 New ZealandThe GabbaAustralia Brisbane, Australia2015Won[35]
212111 New ZealandWACA GroundAustralia Perth, Australia2015Drawn[36]
314412 West IndiesMCGAustralia Melbourne, Australia2015Won[37]
414014 New ZealandBasin ReserveNew Zealand Wellington, New Zealand2016Won[38]
514520 South AfricaAdelaide OvalAustralia Adelaide, Australia2016Won[39]
617129 EnglandSCGAustralia Sydney, Australia2018Won[40]
714134 PakistanDCSUnited Arab Emirates Dubai, United Arab Emirates2018Drawn[41]

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' Christian debutant". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "Warner puts the Blues on notice as Australia put him on standby". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  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". www.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 2016-11-12.
  9. ↑ "Khawaja joins Glamorgan for T20 campaign". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  10. ↑ Andrew Wu. "Ponting out, Khawaja in for Sydney Test". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  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 2013-03-11.
  16. ↑ "Latest incident not isolated: Clarke". Wisden India. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  17. ↑ "Never heard anything so stupid: Mark Waugh". Wisden India. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  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 2016-07-08.
  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. ↑ Pringle, Derek (3 January 2011). "The Ashes: Australia v England, fifth Test, day one lunch report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  26. ↑ "Engagement photo".
  27. 1 2 http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/confidential/usman-khawaja-marries-rachel-mclellan-at-maleny-manor/news-story/c705b3a9920eee7ab7aebf84406b0226?nk=8aca0e4a29666472a6f0639c4b27e3be-1523589953
  28. ↑ "Rachel Khawaja (@rachelmkhawaja) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com.
  29. ↑ "1st Test: Australia v New Zealand Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  30. ↑ "West Indies Tri-Nation Series, 5th Match: West Indies v Australia at Basseterre, Jun 13, 2016". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  31. ↑ "21 March 2016 - World T20 - 22nd Match, Super 10 Group 2 - Australia v Bangladesh, 2015/16 Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  32. ↑ "Sheffield Shield, 2010/11 - SA v NSW Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  33. ↑ "Matador BBQs One-Day Cup, 2014/15 - QLD v TAS Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  34. ↑ "Big Bash League, 5th Match: Melbourne Stars v Sydney Thunder Scorecard". ESPNcricinfo. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  35. ↑ "1st Test: Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, Nov 5-9, 2015 - Cricket Scorecard - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  36. ↑ "2nd Test: Australia v New Zealand at Perth, Nov 13-17, 2015 - Cricket Scorecard - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  37. ↑ "2nd Test: Australia v West Indies at Melbourne, Dec 26-30, 2015 - Cricket Scorecard - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  38. ↑ "1st Test: New Zealand v Australia at Wellington, Feb 12-16, 2016 - Cricket Scorecard - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  39. ↑ "3rd Test: Australia v South Africa at Adelaide, Nov 24-28, 2016 - Cricket Scorecard - ESPN Cricinfo". Cricinfo. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  40. ↑ "5th Test, England tour of Australia and New Zealand at Sydney, Jan 4-8 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  41. ↑ "1st Test, Australia tour of United Arab Emirates at Dubai, Oct 7-11 2018". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
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